Chains of Shadow: Kul Elna's Redemption
by SetsunaNoroi
Summary: Sacrificed to Zork, the Thief King begins to understand his mistakes as millennia pass him by, alone in the Millennium Ring. But when a young boy receives the artifact, can he change for Ryou or is he too closely fused to the dark one? Watching Ryou grow, sharing family, heartache and learning to hope again, he might win now that he has someone to protect. Part 1 of a trilogy
1. Beginning of the End

There was one major thing about the Yu-Gi-Oh anime that I never quite agreed with. Bakura was the main villain of the last arc, and like all the other villains was not just evil for the sake of being evil, but had a reason for his actions. Unlike Marik, Pegasus and even Dartz however, Bakura does not get forgiveness or redemption. This seems even more cruel when you think not only was his childhood incredibly messed up, but it was all started by Zork. Akhenaden was controlled by the demon to create the Millennium Items, which required the sacrifices of Kul Elna, before Bakura was coaxed by Zork to steal the items in order to revive him. Neither Akhenaden nor Akhenamkhanen were responsible for the massacre of Kul Elna and so you saw them in the afterlife once Atemu was allowed to travel beyond. But Bakura, who was just as much of a pawn, and was eventually consumed by Zork to be merged with him is nowhere to be seen, assumed to be destroyed at the end of the show.

Kind of messed up really. A victim is turned into a villain, and never even realizes the truth about everything. Well, I would like to think Egyptian Bakura was very messed up in the head, but if he had known it was really Zork responsible, he would have wanted revenge against him, and not the royal court. How would he have treated Ryou and everyone else if he knew what had really happened all those years ago? How would he have reacted to Yami once they were both trapped souls in the Millennium Items? Basically... what would Bakura be if he were not a villain? I can't help but think he would still be bitter and cold, but pointed in the right direction could be a helpful ally yet vicious and amoral to those who earned his ire. I suppose something along the lines of Season 0 Yami Yugi would be a fair comparison.

One last thing before I start this story, I'm calling him Akefia. This is just to keep things simple. I mean really, how many Bakuras are there allowed to be before the confusion sets in? Not to mention it doesn't even sound Egyptian. I know Akefia isn't canon, but let's face it, this whole story is going to be telling canon to sit in the back seat and shut up while I do the driving, so even really cares? That being said though, this is still considered just a tribute to the show. I'm not claiming anything as my own, and I do this only for my own enjoyment. Copy Right infringement is not in anyway intended.

Chapter 1: Beginning of the End

It was strange, to feel so peaceful. Sitting on the cold slab of of rock that was the Millennium Stone, the self-proclaimed Thief King waited for the Pharaoh. He knew almost instinctively that the man was still alive, that he was coming. He now had the Millennium Puzzle hanging around his neck, and in the dark gloom of this small sanctuary, the spirits of his long since dead family and friends around him, he seemed at peace. It was a comforting and calming thought, that every action and moment in his life had led to this final moment. There were only two outcomes. Either he would win, and the resurrection of Zork would finally be accomplished, or the priests of the Pharaoh would finally successfully kill him.

There would be no running this time. No fleeing. He planned to destroy or be destroyed. And here, in Kul Elna, where this whole nightmare began is where he wanted to finish it.

So he sat, and he waited. The air would shift occasionally, the dead moving and twisting like snakes around him. They had not seemed as calm as he did. He could only assume the prospect of finally having their revenge was making them anxious. He was long since used to their presence however, and did not mind their activity around him at all.

For the longest time, they had been his only company. He'd watched their murders, seen their skin and their blood boiled away and mixed with hot gold, heard their screams of anguish... even after they should have stopped screaming. They hadn't been able to move on, their hatred and thirst for revenge holding them here, and holding him as well.

So long he'd heard them, whispering to him. He was the last one, the only survivor of their village. He needed to get revenge for them, needed to stop their pain.

It was something he was only too willing to do.

And then another voice had joined them. Harsh and low, it brimmed with evil, but it hissed to him a plan, a means to get revenge. Steal the Millennium Items, use the stone, and call back the dark one. Revive him and let his powers wipe away everything.

For years he'd trained, using the tricks he'd been taught by his family to stay alive while keeping himself out of trouble. He spent years trying to keep from being noticed, just another little small time thief. He cared little for gold, snatching clothing and food where he could. It would do him little good to be caught before he was properly prepared. He trained hard, for years unable to call forth Diabound. He remembered the first time he saw his Ka. Powerful and majestic, it had almost scared him before the spirit had wrapped around him, holding him close and silently reassuring him.

It had all been years ago, but when he looked back on it, it seemed as if time had hardly passed at all. He'd been so focused on this moment occurring, it seemed as if everything else had simply been meant to carry him to it.

"Akefia!"

Grinning, the thief looked up, and saw the Pharaoh striding towards him, and alone no less. No priests to protect him, no Ka summoned. He had to have been confident to just stroll into this place so unprotected.

"I see you finally arrived," he said as he stood. "How nice to see you after your fall into the shadows. This will make my victory all the sweeter if I make you watch."

"That's enough!" the king proclaimed. "I'll destroy you here and now for what you've done!"

"Oh, wait, where have I heard that before?" Akefia mused. "Oh, I know. It was when we first met, and I was swearing vengeance for my village! So tell me, Pharaoh, how does it look to you? Nothing more than destroyed rubble and spirits around. Oh, and of course, this!"

He pointed behind himself, the large stone behind him and now in full display.

"I see you still don't believe me, do you?" he hissed. "You can't just stand the thought that your precious little items were made from the blood of my people, or the dark powers given to them because of it!"

"Silence!" the Pharaoh yelled. "My father was a good man, and you know nothing about him!"

Akefia frowned. This was getting them nowhere. The little king was living in a delusion, and even the proof around him didn't seem to make a difference.

"Fine then," he hissed. "Maybe I'll just let them show you the truth instead!"

The dead around him rushed forward, twisting around the king, forcing him to his knees. The pain on his face was obvious, unable to take or stop their onslaught. Akefia watched hungrily as the royal brat grit his teeth, trying to keep from shouting out in his pain. To Akefia, it didn't truly matter if he believed or not. As long as he suffered, as long as he paid for his father's crimes.

A bright light shot forth, blinding the thief as he covered his eyes. Blinking rapidly, he rubbed at his eyes before seeing a Ka before the king. The spirits had been forced away, unable to get close to the Pharaoh now. Frowning, something seemed familiar about him.

"Wait a second! You!" Akefia cried out, recognizing the priest he had killed, the one had had taken the Millennium Ring from. "Curse you! How many times do I need to destroy you people before you stay dead?"

"My Pharaoh, do not worry," the Dark Magician said, staff in hand and ready to fight. "I will not let you stand against this foe alone. I will fight with you until the end."

"It doesn't matter how many there are of you! I'll kill you all!" Akefia declared. "Diabound! Attack that pesky magician and get rid of him!"

His own Ka raised up behind him, rushing towards the magician and unleashing a blast of energy at him. However, instead of connecting with his target, a dark portal opened, sucking up the attack. The Dark Magician smirked, before the sound of cackling energy formed behind him.

"Attacking me will do you no good!" Mahad declared. "Directing your attack is all too easy! And your stone tablet is will be gone!"

His Diabound's attack slammed into a stone pillar, causing it to fall towards the Millennium Stone.

"NO!" Akefia cried out. "Diabound! Protect the Stone!"

Grabbing the pillar with his tail, Akefia cried out in pain as he felt pain exploding in his skull from a second attack. Panting, he fell to the ground. He couldn't fight and protect the Millennium Stone at the same time. No, enough of this. He was going to end it before this fight got too far out of hand.

"I won't... I won't fail after coming this far," he growled out. "I'll take you out once and for all!"

Focusing his energy, he summoned another Ka, a living shield for the Stone. He didn't like splitting his energy like this, but what choice did he have?

"He can summon two Kas?" the Pharaoh cried out in surprise. "No, it doesn't matter! We'll simply take Akefia out and it won't matter. Mahad, you have to destroy Diabound!"

The battle raged on, Akefia pouring all the energy he had into his Diabound. Every time it seemed like he was close to victory however, more and more of the the Pharaoh's supporters would show up. Energies clashed around the room, shaking the foundations. It was pointless though, with the spirits of the villagers on his side, their powers couldn't possibly match up to his own Ka. They had all been fools to come here when he had nearly unlimited power on his side.

"It's pointless!" he cried out, feeling victory in his grasp. Snatching the Millennium Scale from the air that had been stolen away from the powerless priests by his spirits, he laughed out loud. "You don't get it, do you? I was chosen for this! I'm the only one left, and I will end this! You will all die, just as my family, my friends, everyone fell!"

"He's right," the Pharaoh growled out. "Whether they were evil or not, they were murdered. The pain and anger they feel... it's what keeps them here, what gives them power."

Standing, he made his way slowly towards Akefia and his Diabound, holding his side in pain.

"My Pharaoh!" Priest Seth cried out. "What are you doing?"

"If they want revenge, then let them have it!" the king cried out. "Let this grudge be laid to rest, and leave my friends alone!"

Akefia's eyebrows arched in surprise. Was this a trick? No, the Pharaoh had almost fallen to the dead spirits once. He had no chance to stop them now.

"Very well! It's time for revenge!" the thief cried out loudly. "Spirits, take him and drag him down to the depths of the hells you've had to endure!"

For a moment, it seemed as if it would be that easy. They shot towards the king, pulsing with dark energy as he simply stood there and let them infiltrate his body. The thief eagerly watched, knowing his greatest adversary to his plans was about to fall before he gasped in surprise. Rising up from the Pharaoh, Akefia saw Akhenamkhanen over his son, absorbing the spirits inside of himself instead of the current Pharaoh.

"What's going on?" he screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"He's taking those dark souls inside of him," Priestess Iris breathed. "Incredibly. To have such sway over their spirits when he is so outnumbered."

"But what will he do with them?" Seth asked.

"It is time to lay these souls to rest," the former Pharaoh spoke out, his voice seeming to fill the room, echoing off of every surface. "I will take these wandering spirits and lead them with me to the land beyond, where they can finally rest. It is my duty as the one who allowed their deaths."

"NO! Don't you dare!" Akefia screamed out. "How dare you show your face like this and trap them? Let them go! I won't let you steal them away from me again!"

"Akefia... you do not understand," he replied, shaking his head. "These spirits are in pain, suffering, but fighting on like this will do them no good. They must rest now. They need peace in their souls, and I will give it to them."  
>"They want revenge!" the thief screamed back at him. "They'll be able to rest after that! It's what they want! It's what they've always wanted!"<p>

"Yes, I know that, but now they can be provided another path. I know you do not understand, but one can only fight for so long. They are tired. Surely you can see that."

"No! NO! Spirits! Don't let him trap you away again! Come back, dammit! I order you to come back and help me! We need to finish what we started! Don't you want your revenge?"

He stared at the dead Pharaoh, swallowing hard when he received no answer. No whispers, no cries out that only he could hear. Nothing. Silence reverberated inside of his skull, almost choking him at how stifling it was.

"They want to go," Akhenamkhanen informed the young thief. "The after-world awaits them, where the pain and misery will finally be gone. Please see, I never meant for this suffering to fall upon them, or you. Maybe in time, the truth will reveal itself to you."

His eyes widened as the Pharaoh began to fade away, taking his dead loved ones with him. Tears welled up in his eyes, watching them go, and unable to do anything about it.

"Don't..." he whispered. "Don't leave me... don't go again..."

Panting, he glared at the current Pharaoh, hatred beating wildly in his heart. This was just like last time. That damn king had stolen his family from him! Why would they have wanted to leave? Peace? He had offered them peace! He was going to get revenge for them and make the royal court and their empire pay! They couldn't have left him willingly! They had to have been forced! That was the only explanation!

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, PHARAOH!" he screamed out. "You think this is the end! As long as I still have my Diabound, you're powerless against me! I will have my revenge, and Zork will plunge you and everything you hold dear into the darkness while I watch your misery and laugh! Now Diabound, attack!"

"Think again!" the Pharaoh retaliated. "Mahad, finish off his weakened Diabound once and for all!"

Akefia couldn't withstand the blast that ripped through his Ka, feeling as if it had shredded his very soul as well. Screaming, he crashed to the ground, blood erupting past his lips and onto the sandy floor. How... how had that happened? Was he really so weak after being abandoned like this?

"It's over Akefia!" the Pharaoh declared. "Return those Millennium Items to us at once! You don't have a chance now that your Diabound is gone!"

"Never!" he hissed out, pushing himself up and crawling towards the Millennium Stone. "I will have your Items, and I will have my revenge. Your empire will fall. Zork will be raised, and I will see you all suffer!"

"No," the Pharaoh said. "This will end now. Now give me back those items or face the consequences."

"I'd rather die," he gasped, pushing what Millennium Items he had into their slots.

"That can be arranged."

Turning around in shock, his eyes widened in surprise. He saw Akhenaden standing over him, knife in hand. Where had he come from?

"It's over, Akefia," he said harshly. "You served Zork well, but he needs one more thing from you. A body, a soul... you will be the sacrifice for him!"

Screaming at the pain of the dagger being shoved into him, it felt as if his chest was exploding. Blood poured from his body, dripping onto the stone tablet and pooling into the crevices. He heard shouting, but the voices were all so distant, clouded to his ears. He couldn't make out what was being said and could only stare up at the priest who had stabbed him, a wicked gleam in his eye.

"Don't worry," Akhenaden hissed. "This is all going according to my plan. You did exactly as I planned, but now it's time for me to take over this little show."

"What... what are you talking about?" Akefia gasped out. "Your plan?"

"Yes. How amusing that this whole time you believe you were the one in control, that you actually would be the one to profit when Zork came back from his long sleep. But it was I that made those Items required to bring him back. I who carved out the path of fate using the blood of your brethren to paint the path. And it is I who will see the end of this little game as the winner, all as Zork ordered me to."

"Or... ordered?"

Akefia's eyes were starting to dim, the room getting more and more quiet around him. Breathing was getting harder and harder for him, but even in the gloom, the priest's face seemed unable or unwilling to fade away from his sight.

"You were nothing more than a pawn, and now the last villager of Kul Elna will be the blood sacrifice for Zork, giving me the power to have what I have always dreamed. Despair, knowing that in the end, you little belief, what drove you to such strength, to such depths, was nothing more than a lie. Zork will take your soul and feed from it, making himself return to burn the world to little more than a cinder, and my son will rule over all that is left, a empire of shadows and pain."

Akefia reached out, a weak swipe at the priest's face, but it was batted away as easily as if he were just a small child. A laugh erupted in his head, dark and cruel before his eyes closed and he saw no more.

#-#

When Akefia awoke, it felt as if he'd been jerked awake. The pain in his chest screamed out at him and when he looked down, he was terrified to see not blood pouring from it, but something he could only describe as liquid shadow seeping from the wound. His arms were being held above his head by something he could not see nor tug free from. Gasping in pain, he shook his head, trying to convince himself it was all a nightmare.

Akefia had no idea how long he was stuck there. For amounts of time, he saw and hear nothing, only the pain keeping him company. At other times, visions of the battle before him was forced into his brain and dark tendrils slowly began to tear at his body. He didn't know what was happening half the time, beasts flying around and fighting a monster, large and dark, the sky blotted out and the land of Egypt burning and falling to the beast.

He screamed and begged, knowing he was screaming for mercy, but it did it little good. His words were swallowed into the shadows surrounding him before they even escaped his lips and there was nothing he could do but endure the show prepared for him.

"Rejoice, my pawn. Your soul is mine now, and I will let you see what you wanted. Truly, revenge is sweet, is it not?" Zork's voice boomed around him, letting him know in the end that it was true. This was his fault. All of it. He'd let this happen.

"No!" he screamed as he shook his head. "No! This isn't my fault! YOU DID THIS! You lied to me! You forced that priest to use my village! You made him make the Millennium Items! You... YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KILLED MY FAMILY!"

"So now you figure it out?" the voiced boomed back in it's laughter. "Ah, but that information will do you little good now! You are mine, for all eternity!"

Akefia fought against it, but it did little good. Zork seemed to have full control of him now, and nothing could stop it. He watched, almost in the demon's eyes as the Egyptian gods fell to Zork, how Ka after Ka was defeated in a vain attempt to stop his terror. There was no hope anymore, and Akefia knew that this was his punishment and fate, to observe this for the rest of forever.

He gave in, his mind seeming to slip away. He was only conscious for parts of the battle, not having the strength to keep going. He felt Zork toying with his soul, waking him occasionally to observe the 'fun' that the demon was having. It didn't matter anymore though. What could he possibly do to stop it? Perhaps it was best just to give up and let himself fall into the darkness. It had him anyway. What good would fighting it do now?

He felt his body being tugged at before he swiped at whatever was pulling at him. He didn't want to see anymore. He just wanted it to stop. Why wouldn't everything just stop?

The tugging continued however, more insistent this time. He groaned and reached out to push it away, not in the mood. He felt nothing though and raised his head to see what was it that was bothering him. If Zork was just playing with him again, than it was getting old. He had his soul, what more could he possibly take from the beaten thief?

He blinked however when he only saw light. He gasped and shielded his eyes, the sensation almost burning after such a deep darkness had over taken him. Shaking his head, he looked again, his eyes opening slowly to the light, gradually fading to let him see. He'd thought he would have seen whatever had been pulling at him but there was nothing, and no one, there. He was alone in a large room, built by large stone bricks. It reminded him very quickly of a cell. He'd seen enough of them to recognize one immediately.

There were no bars though. No windows or doors that he could see. Turning his head, he nearly screamed and shoved himself back into the wall.

Shadows flickered from one of the four walls, licking at the stone quickly in an agitated fashion. They writhed, forming a large circle off of the wall, and nearly swallowing the whole thing. In the middle of the swirling vortex, burning like fire, two large red eyes stared at him, narrowing in anger.

"Zork?" he asked softly, somehow knowing instinctively that it was him. He received no answer, but the eyes flared for a second.

He stared at the monster, unsure what this all meant. Something about all of this seemed off somehow. It didn't feel like before when Zork had been torturing him. He could move on is own, the pain gone, and instead of the cocky and proud demon he'd been forced to give his soul to, there was nothing but a small and angry shadow before him, glaring at him as if this was somehow all of his fault.

"Ah... I see," he said quietly as he sat down and leaned against the stone wall opposite the monstrosity. "You lost, didn't you?"

He felt a pulse of hatred hit him, but only laughed out loud, throwing his head back as he enjoyed the delicious irony of all of it. He wasn't entirely sure how it had all happened, but it seemed the royal court had triumphed after all. "I wonder why I'm still stuck with you though. Hmm, well, you did devour my soul. I guess it's just fate. Well, good. This works out pretty well for me anyway. Because I have questions." He frowned, hating the thing in front of him more than he had ever hated anything in his whole life. "And you are going to answer them."

End of Chapter 1

Okay, here is the first chapter. For those who noticed, yes, things did play out a bit different than what had happened in the anime and manga. In the anime Bakura was turned to sand, but I think this was just symbolic of his death. Seeing as he and Zork ending up merged to create 'Yami Bakura,' I assumed the guy ended up sacrificed to him in the end. His actions were his own, up to a point, but in the end, he really was just destined to fall.

Next chapter, we explore a little more of Akefia discovering the secrets of what happened, the years passing by, and how he would eventually fell into the hands of the young Ryou Bakura.


	2. Escaping the Sands of Time

Well, on to chapter two. I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and gave me their opinion of the story. Always nice to know when your work is appreciated.

This chapter pretty much just covers the history of Akefia over the years that he was in the Millennium Ring before he came to Ryou. They don't go much into what happened over the years, only covering a few keys facts, mostly through the back stories of the other characters. I interpreted a bit on my own while doing my best to keep true to the facts given.

As stated before, I don't own the show or manga in any way. This is just meant as a tribute to a show that I cared about very much in my childhood, and still do. I am not trying to claim ownership in any way whatsoever.

Chapter 2: Escaping the Sands of Time

It had not taken Akefia long to realize that Zork was not in any way interested in conversing with him. The thief had first felt very calm about everything, knowing that the monster who was responsible for all of his misery had been beaten. He's asked his questions simply enough, wanting to know what had happened after he had died. Nothing had answered. His voice was the only one that filled the room, and no others.

He knew Zork could hear him. It reacted well enough to his words. Somehow nothing but a pair of eyes resting in the middle of shadows could be rather expressive. But nothing was ever said back to him, silence his only reward for his interrogations.

He'd begun to get irritated, yelling at the creature and threatening him. The idea that Akefia seemed to be able to do anything to hurt Zork only seemed to amuse the thing. Its eyes would only crinkle as the moving shadows would shake slightly, as if it was laughing at him in silent mirth.

"Tell me how the Pharaoh defeated you," he hissed angrily. He'd long since lost count how many times he had asked this question, and again, there was no answer. "Dammit! Tell me!"

Growling at the silence, he slammed his fists on the stone wall before turning his head back to glare at Zork.

"I know it was you who used that damn priest. Tell me, was it all your idea to use my village, or did he already have the location in mind for the slaughter on his own?"

His heated glare did him little good and in his anger, he turned roughly from the monster, pacing the room. It was a small one, and no matter where he looked, he could see in the edge of his vision his 'cell mate'. Zork would always watch him, his eyes following him as he walked around the room.

To Akefia, this was the most horrible prison he had ever been in, and it wasn't even from the company he was forced to keep. This place was nothing more than a box, nothing changed. Akefia never felt hunger anymore, and his attempts to sleep were futile as well. He'd close his eyes and lay down, but his mind would stay awake, and deny him any rest from his punishment. Not that he really needed it. He never felt tired anymore, but he would have given anything to dream.

He could not escape this hellish prison of his, but even being able to dream of it would have been a blessing. It seemed he was even denied fantasies of getting away from his punishment though. There was no freedom afforded to him, and every second he was forced to be aware of it.

There was nothing to break the crawling passage of time, and nothing to track it with either. There was no sunlight that seeped through the stones of his room, yet he could somehow see by some kind of light source anyway. If there were days passing by, he could not count them, no way to judge at all. His body had literally stopped, in this little corner of hell that was stuck in time, but his mind... it continued to work, continued to crave answers.

#-#

"Tell... me," he hissed. Yet again, trying for answers he could not have. How long had he been thinking before he had gotten back to questioning Zork? Minutes? Days? Years? He screamed, wishing he had something to throw at the shadow. He should have expected no answer by now, but he hated it anyway. The damned silence echoed everywhere. It seemed if he did not talk, it would suffocate him, but he had nothing to say unless it involved knowing how Zork was defeated.

Akefia had wanted to know only to gloat at first, but the need for an answer had quickly become obsession for him. Or had it taken a long time? He didn't know. There was no way to tell. But the answers to maybe stopping all of this laid with Zork. The thought that if he knew how the Pharaoh had won he could rid himself of Zork had often occurred to him. The beast had some weakness, and he wanted it.

#-#

"I will kill you," he growled, standing in front of the shadow, his fists clenched. "I don't care how long it takes. I will rip you apart. NOW TELL ME HOW THE PHARAOH DEFEATED YOU!"

Zork as always said nothing. Akefia was beginning to wonder if he could even talk. Wait. Hadn't he always wondered if Zork could talk? He couldn't remember. Things were beginning to mix in his mind. It never stopped, and he was always thinking. Thoughts that came to him didn't seem to want to leave, and memories were becoming more and more crowded. What had he thought before? What was he thinking now?

Akefia grabbed his head and shrieked in his frustration. Falling to his knees, he yanked at his hair and beat his head into the floor. He wanted to be unconscious! He wanted a break from it! Just for a little while... just a rest...

#-#

It was getting harder not to drown in the silence, but not because it was getting worse, but because Akefia was getting tired of trying to fight it. His questions were never answered and he no longer wished to give Zork the satisfaction of watching him ask.

He didn't know how long he had sat down on the floor, just watching the eyes in front of him. Zork never blinked, and if not for the shadows that swirled around him, he probably would not have moved at all. He might as well have been watching a painting or stone carving for how much the creature would do anything when Akefia was not screaming or demanding answers.

He wondered if the thing was getting bored. He'd been doing his best not to give any kind of reaction that the demon might find interesting or amusing. He just sat and stared, trying to break the thing down without saying anything at all.

#-#

Akefia did not know why he was counting, but he was doing it anyway. There was nothing else to occupy his mind, and it was a distraction. Of course, there was no starting point. He could try to count the seconds. He could notice them pass when he did that, but without any clue of how much time had gone by before he had thought to count, the numbers were useless to him.

But he counted anyway.

He just wished he knew why.

#-#

"I died."

The eyes watching him shifted slightly. Akefia could almost hear the question in the stale air.

_**'You**__**'re**__** just now figuring this out?'**_

"I died," he whispered again. "I died... I died... I... I'm dead..."

For the first time in a long time, the thief king felt moisture in the dry room as a tear slid down his cheek. By the time he moved to wipe it away though, it had long since dried on its own.

#-#

His throat hurt. He didn't know why. He hadn't spoke since... well... he wasn't sure anymore. Maybe that's why it hurt. His tongue slid out slowly, wetting his parched lips. How could his tongue still even be wet? Shouldn't he have dried up by now? He was dead. He should be a mummy...

Had he been given a burial? Why would they have done that? Had his body rotted in his village, alone and broken like everything else there?

His village... he could have sworn it was something else. It had a name. Did anyone remember it? He felt like weeping when he realized even if they did, no would care. He cared... but he no longer remembered.

#-#

His body almost didn't listen to him when he tried to stand. Maybe it had been too long since he had moved. Maybe he had forgotten how to. The eyes that never moved crinkled slightly as he trembled, taking a step towards the shadows. He'd had enough. He didn't want this anymore. How long did he have to suffer this pain? He wanted to just stop and never have to think another thought.

"I'm... tired," he rasped out. "What... do you... want? Why... why are you watching me?"

He reached out a hand, trying to grab one of the small shadows, a mere tendril. His hand passed through it, but he felt something on his skin for just the briefest of seconds. It was almost like the smoke from a burning candle curling around his fingers before dissipating. How was it he could remember smoke? His mind seemed fuzzy these days, and memories seemed few and far between. And yet, he still thought so much. He didn't understand it. He didn't understand anything.

His hand moved out again, trying to touch something that for all he knew wasn't even really there. No, Zork was there. If he was unsure of everything else, he was sure of that at least.

The sound seemed to explode so suddenly, Akefia covered his ears with a scream. A booming noise was thundering in the room, scaring him. He shrunk down, pushing himself into the shadows. He felt them lick at his skin as his eyes widened, trying to hide from whatever was happening.

Looking over his shoulder, the sight nearly made him whimper. One of the walls seemed to be melting. Golden light pierced the room as it streaked in a narrow horizontal line over the stone. It stopped suddenly and shot down to the floor before it seemed to explode in the room. Akefia gasped in a high pitched voice as a door that had not been there before opened, filling the room with light, even though there had been light before.

Shaking, he looked up, seeing a dark skinned man step forward. He was dressed simply, a brown robe covering his body with a white cape and turban on his head. Looking around, he paused at seeing Akefia. He seemed taken aback, looking at the shivering man and stepped closer.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

Akefia opened his mouth to answer, before his voice caught in his throat. Choking, he felt the shadows tighten around his body, now much more solid than they had been a moment before. He scrambled for his neck, unable to breathe as he felt his throat getting squeezed, but he couldn't claw the thing away.

The man rushed forward to help but Akefia slumped forward before raising his head, a grin plastered on his face.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for someone to finally get curious enough to look inside of here?" he hissed out harshly as he stood. "You had to have seen the activity of the Ring before now. What took you so long to check?"

"We were wary of what would happen," the man admitted. "We didn't know why it was reacting so much."

"Yes you do," he replied before giving a harsh laugh. "You knew I was in here, but you finally had the courage to check for yourself. I bet you used the Millennium Key hanging off your neck to unlock the door to this boy's mind. It's about time too. It was almost too close to breaking and being worthless to me."

The man's eyes widened in surprise when Akefia suddenly lunged at him, knocking him to the ground. Grunting in pain, he couldn't even react before hands wrapped around his throat and his head was beaten back into the stone floor. He laughed, his voice high and deranged as he strangled the stranger. He watched in hunger as the life seemed to leave the body, squeezing harder in glee.

"I can feel," he gasped. "I can feel again!"

"YOU FOOL! GET THE ITEM!"

Akefia ignore the voice screaming out, seeming unable to hear it. He felt a tearing in his head, but he didn't care. In his hands he held someone's fate, someone's life in his very own hands. The power that surged through him was too much to let go of now. Suddenly he screamed, his mind searing in pain and clutched at his head. Panting, he trembled as he looked down at the man and seeing that he was dead.

Jerking himself off of the corpse, he panted and slowly turned, facing Zork.

"You..." he breathed accusingly. "You made me do that."

The eyes seemed to dim somewhat and Akefia felt his blood boil.

"Don't you run from me? I know you can talk now! You forced me to do that! You-"

Staggering back, Akefia groaned and held his head. His back hit a wall gently and he leaned against it. He felt a headache coming on, and for the first time in he didn't know how long, his soul didn't feel so weak.

"You... you were trying to posses me," he breathed. "You were poisoning my mind..."

He glared at the demon, his head feeling much clearer than it had in a long time. All those thoughts, all the doubts... had they just been Zork's doing? It had felt as if his mind had been deteriorating on its own. He had thought he was going crazy. He hadn't realized Zork still had power over him, but his mind had snapped back into reality too suddenly for his thoughts to have been normal.

"Kul Elna..." he whispered before laughing aloud. "My home was Kul Elna! You thought you could make me forget that and you'd have me! I'm not some puppet for you to control!"

Seething, he grinned as he looked around himself. Whoever he had killed was still there, lying in a heap on the ground. He swallowed seeing the Millennium Item hanging on a cord around his neck before he shook his head. What did those damned things matter to him anymore? His eyes lifted to the door and he grinned, jumping over the body and running for it.

It felt like a breath of fresh air when he left the room, screaming in his triumph before pausing. Looking around, there was... nothing. It was empty. Confused, he looked behind him and gasped when he saw the corpse of the man stand. What in the world was going on?

"I warn you not to go too far," he said simply. "You could get lost out there."

"Great bit of concern from the man I just strangled to death," Akefia muttered. Even if he hadn't meant to do it, he was not going to apologize for the action. Was the stranger even dead?

"Perhaps you should allow yourself to become lost then," he replied. "I've seen many Soul Rooms before, but I certainly should have expected the Millennium Ring to have such a dark one, considering what it houses."

"The Millennium... What are you talking about?" he demanded. "What's going on?"

The man simply stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"It was foolish to come here," he said simply. "But perhaps it was my fate after all?"

"Hey," the thief growled. "I asked you a question."

"You have been locked away for a very long time," the stranger answered. "But I can see now how dangerous that is. You can not fall into the hands of the one destined for you as you are. You would only consume that person, pull them into darkness with you. I would hide the Ring away, but it is not my place to fight destiny. I will grant you the control, and hope that you are better pulling the strings than the Dark One is."

Akefia was about to snap at the man to start making sense when the Millennium Key suddenly rose and struck his forehead. He gasped, his mind seeming to go blank. Eyes rolling back into his head, he fell forward, his mind asleep before his body even hit the ground.

#-#

The first thought that had occurred to Akefia was that he had been dreaming. It was a preposterous thought, but what other possibility was there when his eyes suddenly opened and he sat up, looking around and seeing himself in the same room that he had long since inhabited? He groaned, wondering how much of it had been real, and how much had been his own mind. He looked over at Zork, who only glared at him.

"Ah, this is getting to be a pain," he muttered. "A whole nightmare about going insane because of you. And here I thought I didn't need to sleep. Well, if those are the dreams I'll be having, I think I'll pass from now on."

"Idiot human."

His head snapped up, staring at Zork, unable to believe what he had just heard. Did he just speak?

"Since when have you..." Akefia drifted off when his eyes caught the sight of the door, the same one from his dream. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pushed himself all the way up and made his way over to it slowly. It was plain really, made of a dark wood, the only thing particularly interesting about it was the golden symbol of the Millennium Items embedded in the wood. It looked much like an eye watching him, but after so long with Zork, it seemed very nonchalant by now.

Reaching for the handle, his hand paused only for a moment before grasping it in his hand tightly and yanking it open.

Akefia blinked, looking around himself. He was in a chamber, the lighting low with only a few torches burning. The room itself was rather large, several pillars with paintings and carvings decorating them. He saw no one else in the room that he could ask where he was, yet somehow, the area seemed familiar. He felt he had been there before, even though he knew he couldn't have.

Turning, he expected to see the door to the room behind him, but was shocked to see nothing of the sort. Instead, laying before his feet was the last thing he had expected to ever see again.

"The Millennium Stone," he breathed. Moving closer, he saw there was a couple of the Millennium Items in there, but only a couple. The Eye and Ring were fit snugly in place, but where were the rest of them?

"I see you finally managed to come out on your own."

Whipping around, Akefia saw the same man that had come into his... what had he called it? A Soul Room? Either way, it was the the exact same one he had thought he'd killed. His eyes narrowed as he saw the Key and Scales in his possession. Well, that was four out of seven.

"Are you going to answer my questions now?" he asked. "I don't care much for people trying to rule my life, and it has been happening much too often lately."

"Ah, but you no longer have a life to rule," the stranger replied and shook his head. "That was lost to you, many years ago. Many, many years ago."

Akefia frowned. "How many?" he asked.

"Would it surprise you to hear the battle between the Nameless Pharaoh and the Dark One, Zork, happened nearly a full century ago?"

"What?" he asked, blanching. "A... a century? You mean I've been dead for a hundred years?"

"Close to it, yes," the stranger answered. "And it has been a whole year since my own death. You nearly destroyed my very soul when you killed me, yet my spirit continues on while my body does not."

The thief felt this point had only been made to remind him that he'd killed this man. Well, he was looking for sympathy in the wrong place. But... a year? Had that much time really passed? It was hard to believe. Had he been asleep that whole time then, since the Key had touched him?

"What did you do to me?" he asked. "Why was I able to leave? There was never a door there before."

"The door was always there," the man corrected. "It simply could not be opened from the inside. Your Soul Room, the place where your most inner mind lives, was trapped. Zork was sealed in the Millennium Ring, unable to be fully destroyed. Records speak of a sacrifice that was used, a man who died trying to bring forth the evil being. I have no doubt when you were sacrificed to Zork you were sealed away with him as well."

Akefia had figured that much out on his own already. Who couldn't have seen he'd been trapped with the demon?

"But you let me out," he said.

"I unlocked the door, yes," he replied. "For many years the Ring was very active. It can act on it's own, move itself just slightly, particularly when other Items are around it. We could only guess that was Zork and his hunger for the items. However, there were other things as well. Screams and cries that would sometimes sound in the night, and every time, there was a glow about the Ring. It was obvious these strange hauntings were connected, but we did not know how. Eventually, I decided to investigate, and found you.

"He was in complete control of you, and at first I thought you were merely an embodiment of him. However, your actions and his words quickly proved otherwise. I saw that you were trapped in his clutches, yet you managed to break free of it, if even only for a few moments. I decided quickly what chaos it could cause if you were to fall under his control again needed to be avoided at all costs. It would only spell disaster."

"And why is that?" he asked.

"Each of these items are destined to belong to someone, to accept a certain holder of their power. This place is the Nameless Pharaoh's tomb that my bloodline gaurds. When he sealed away Zork, it killed him, but he, like you, was sealed into his own Item, the Millennium Puzzle. It is foretold someday all the items will fall into his possession, and that he will fulfill his destiny to fully stop Zork. But the Items must be obtained properly, given to him at the right moment. If Zork were in control, do you think he would ever allow the Ring to be handed over for his own destruction?"

"So, eventually the Ring is going to fall into the hands of someone destined to have it, and then they are going to be just expected to give up an Item of such power. And you think if I'm in control of my own soul, I can somehow keep Zork from interfering."

"That was my hope."

"Will this kill Zork then?"

"It will."

Akefia grinned.

"I'm in."

#-#

If the thief had been expecting any results immediately, he'd been sorely disappointed. It seemed his destiny was to wait much longer than he had first figured on, something that didn't please him at all.

Most of the days passed in a fairly boring fashion, but he did his best to learn anyway. He found out he wasn't truly free from the Ring. He could walk away from it, but only so far before his soul would simply refuse to move any further. His distance wasn't very far either. He could barely make it out of the tomb and into the city before he found himself unable to proceed. He found himself instead spending most of his time in the actual tomb, only to discover, despite the name, this wasn't the resting place of the Pharaoh at all. The Millennium Stone rested here, and as did some of the Items, but the body of the Pharaoh had to be elsewhere. It was a shame, he would have loved to kick the body a few times, just for spite.

He was oddly discomforted by the fact that everyone called him the Nameless Pharaoh though. The king had a name, yet for some reason, whenever he tried to think of it, he pulled a complete blank. It was like a hole in his mind, something incredibly vexing considering he could now remember everthing else with perfect clarity. He wondered if it was Zork's doing somehow, yet did not feel like asking. Remembering such an small thing mattered little to him anway.

There was plenty to learn though. Shadi, the man he had killed, seemed to have no problem interacting with still living people. Akefia took advantage of this and would follow him almost everywhere when he thought he might get some interesting information. It was the only way to, since for some reason no one would see or hear him. He heard more about the legends, of battles the Pharaoh would be destined to have, and about the location of a couple more of the Items.

He'd been intrigued to hear that aside from this spot, there was another place of importance, a location guarded by a family chosen by the Priest Seth himself, and given the Rod and Necklace to accomplish their task. What they were guarding though, Akefia wasn't sure. Neither did he care really.

He spent most of his time out of his Soul Room, the freedom provided in his escape proving too delicious to ignore. He loathed going back as well, Zork always waiting for him. The demon had become much more vocal though, hating the fact that the thief could walk around free but he could not. At first Akefia had enjoyed rubbing it in the monster's face, but it quickly became too much hassle. Zork had a bad habit of trying to claw his way into his mind, and Akefia didn't know exactly how hard that would be for him to take control of his spirit again.

Years passed and Akefia continued to wait. Little tidbits of information would occasionally come to him, but it was getting fewer and far between. He watched generation after generation of Shadi's fellow guardians die and be born, just to again die. He wondered if Shadi felt any resentment towards him for killing and essentially trapping him here in the mortal plane, forcing him to watch and endure it. The man seemed so devoid of emotions most times, it was hard to tell, and they did not converse much. It didn't seem as if either really had any reason to.

Another thing seemed to change as the years went by, even if little else seemed to. When Akefia had first stolen the Millennium Ring, he had only seemed able to tap a small portion of it's power. It had seemed like so much to him at the time, yet he was beginning to see he was wrong. His reach over the real world began to grow, and he found he could make humans hear him, if only for a small amount of time. His powers were growing and he was beginning to feel like the master of the Item instead of its slave.

The most shocking surprise seemed to come to him however, when Shadi informed him that he had the power to change his Soul Room. It had started as a simple question as why he would spend so little time in what was essentially his home. Akefia had seen no reason to lie, especially since this was the first conversation the two had bothered to have in about fifty years. When he'd explained about not wanting to be near Zork, he'd been informed simply that if more locks were required to keep the beast down, Akefia simply had to add them.

It had taken some getting used to. Shadi had offered to help, but the thief was too independent to allow it. The first few attempts had ended poorly and Zork had taunted him about his lack of control over his own soul. The thief ignored him, knowing this was not something most people could even consciously do anyway. It had been very satisfying when he'd finally been able to form what he had wanted, a second set of doors, which he had taken great pleasure in slamming in Zork's screaming and outraged face. He hadn't paid much attention to his vow that he'd get the thief back for his actions. When was he not yelling something like that anymore?

Honestly, Akefia was starting to miss when the demon had refused to talk.

He didn't do much else with his room. He'd been told that all people made theirs subconsciously, and that it was a window to who they were. He did not have to wonder why it was empty and cold. His whole life had been just that. If there was a way to change it, the former tomb raider did not want to. It would have felt like a lie to make his soul seem like something that he didn't really feel.

Even after he'd dealt with Zork, he didn't bother going into the room very often. He knew he was sealed in the Millennium Ring, but when he was out, it felt like he was somehow free. It was too nice a sensation to let go of. True, he could now watch the going on's just as easily from the room as if he were just wandering around, but it was no reason to stay inside.

He watched seasons pass, years fade away to reach bigger and bigger numbers. People became more advanced, yet seemed to lose something as well. It was a shame when he learned not only could people no longer summon their Ka, some no longer even believed they possessed them. Things that were accepted as truth became myths and legends, told to children at bedtime or around a campfire. Things were forgotten and lost, and in it all, the spirit of the Ring waited for whatever destiny that was supposed to happen to happen.

End of Chapter 2

This was an interesting and sad chapter to write. I've never written someone going insane before, but that was exactly what I was trying to show in the beginning of this chapter. It reads off rather jumbled, but I think it works well.

Then of course, the passing of time. I think everyone looks back and sees the old days as better than what we live in now. Can you imagine how someone who has been around for thousands of years may feel, and worse yet, unable to change along with it? I don't see Akefia as overly sentimental. He has things he cares about, and the rest of existence is just trash to him, but even he can't be completely unaffected by the world turning into something he has no connection to.


	3. Fate's Course

Third chapter of this story. I'm very happy to present it, since it has what everyone has told me what they have been looking forward to, Akefia meeting Ryou Bakura. It is no doubt their relationship that will change the most from canon in this story and I want to do it some real justice. I certainly hope that you enjoy it.

As always, this is merely a story I tell to offer tribute to the show and some of my favorite characters. It is in no way meant to make any profit or is there any Copyright Infringement intended. Please support the original show.

Chapter 3: Fate's Course

"Run faster, you damn fool!" Akefia urged, turning his head back and seeing the men running after him.

A scrawny man, practically dressed in rags ran through the streets of the city, shoving past people with several men in black robes not far behind. He clutched a large piece of golden jewelery in his hand as he panted, rushing through the crowd as fast as he could.

Akefia growled as he followed after him, silently pushing him to run faster. At this point they were going to get caught, and that was the last thing he needed. If this damn thief caused him to have to go back, he was going to kill him... slowly and with as much screaming as was humanly possible.

The Thief King, now the long since dead spirit of the Millennium Ring was in a sense, bored. He had been for a long time, and he was starting to get sick of it. So many years had passed by since he had been freed from the Ring, more than he cared to count, and much more than he felt any mortal had a right to see. Then again, he was anything but a mortal anymore.

He had begun to notice signs, he could feel like something was coming, a change in the air it seemed. For countless centuries, the tomb that had in a way become his home had been largely ignored, undiscovered. They hid way there, in peace, only venturing out when it was required. But these last few years or so... things had become much more active. Akefia didn't think he could put it into words, but it felt... different. Like something was supposed to happen, something important.

He wasn't sure how they had been discovered, if the resting place had just been found by chance or not, but he'd been calmly lazing around when had seen a man come inside the room with the Millennium Stone. The dead thief was curious, watching the stranger as he skulked into the room and up to the ancient artifact. He knew everyone who lived in this tomb, watching all of them as they went about their duties and lives, and this one did not belong here.

He didn't care much when the stranger went up to the stone, at least until he plucked a piece of gold from the alter, Akefia's own Ring.

"H-hey!" he snapped suddenly. "What do you think you're doing! You put that back! Thief!"

The irony of the statement he had just made was not lost on him, but he was in too much of a panic to care. That was his, dammit! No one had the right to steal it! He had taken it from that dead priest centuries ago, fair and square!

He'd been unfortunately jerked along for the ride, screaming the whole time for one of the damn tomb keepers to notice. That was their job after all. He was starting to hate how none of them could see him. The unnamed thief had gotten pretty far too, and Akefia was beginning to wonder if he should just kill the damn fool himself when Shadi had appeared in front of the thief, seemingly coming from out of nowhere. Akefia knew he in fact had, but it had to be quite a nasty shock for the unsuspecting man who had tried to make off with the Item.

"About time you got here," Akefia muttered. "Did you plan to let him just make off with MY Item?"

Shadi said nothing back to him, staring at the man who had tried to make the theft. His eyes bore into his, watching him for a moment before he spoke.

"You seek the Millennium Ring?" he asked softly. "Perhaps you are the one then. You may keep it, if you pass the test."

"Wait, what?" the Thief King snapped. "What do you think you're talking about?"

The living thief seemed just as confused, but before he could protest as well, the other tomb keepers had arrived. Like wraiths dressed in black, they had grabbed the thief, dragging him back to the tomb as he kicked and screamed. Akefia could only watch in fascination as he followed them, wondering what was going to happen. Shadi was obviously not going to answer his questions, and it didn't seem as if he was a little too curious about this new development to fight it yet.

Once back in the tomb, Shadi took the Ring from the man, wordlessly hanging it over his neck.

"Now," he spoke softly, "it is time for your test."

Akefia suddenly lurched forward, as if something had grabbed him. He was tugged against him will, finding himself suddenly pulled into the Ring. He blinked in surprise and looked around. Where was he? It was a dark room, but nothing like his own. It was dank and wet, the walls and floor covered with water. No... not water... blood. The air was rank with it, a horrible stench. Weapons and bones littered the area along with many broken pieces of jewelery hanging from the walls, and he understood immediately, this man was just a murderer and thief. He liked his fancy little treasures and would go to any means to get them.

This was a perfect soul for Zork to inhabit. He would have loved it.

"No," he hissed angrily. "I won't accept this."

He turned angrily, not surprised to see the thief in the room. He looked largely confused about what was going on, but Akefia didn't give a damn. This man was going to get what he came for, but he wasn't going to like it.

"So, you want my treasure, do you?" he hissed. "Another fancy bauble, another piece of gold for your collection? You don't even know what the Ring is, do you, you damn miserable idiot? Well, I'll be happy to show you."

He paid no attention to the screams as the shadows twisted around the stranger. He didn't really care about his discomfort or fright. This was not his intended host. He would be damned before he let such a soul posses his Item, or his power. He didn't even grant the man the mercy of a quick death, wanting him to see the horrors he had brought upon himself when he had dared come inside of here. Monsters tore from the shadows, ancient and dark under Akefia's control and jumped at the man, tugging him to the ground and ripping into his flesh, following the Thief King's will blindly.

He watched the blood of the thief mix into the rest of the puddles on the floor, the faint drip drip drip now the only sounds in the room, the screaming having died away a long time ago. He merely snorted at the weak display before leaving the room.

The damage he had inflicted on the stranger was not on display on his actual body when Akefia came out and back into the tomb. He merely was laying on the floor, the Ring hanging off his neck and resting on the floor, but he was without a doubt dead.

"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you," he hissed at Shadi. "Now put the damn Ring back."

Despite his threat however, this cycle that had started did not seem to end so simply. They were broken into again, and again. Something seemed to be drawing the damn thieves in, and every time he was the one who had to test them.

He killed them all, not interested in such people having him in their possession. Some of them didn't even get tot the Stone before they were caught, some of them Akefia killed before they even got to the door, and some of them almost seemed as if they were going to get away with their theft, before they were drug back and forced to see if they were worthy.

They didn't always steal the Ring, so Akefia didn't think this was Zork's doing. He was still locked tightly away, and he did not feel the demon's influence. Still, something was going on, and he wanted to know what. He also wanted to know why Shadi kept insisting that the Ring was the one to test these people, even when they tried to steal the Eye.

"It is coming close to the time," Shadi had finally explained to him when he had asked why he was allowing so many people into this tomb. He was practically hanging an invitation over the door from how many invasions were beginning to happen. "Your destiny is almost at hand. Soon the one destined for you will come, and your part will be laid before you to play."

It sounded too much like fate to him. He had no desire to sit around and wait for some moron to finally be able to keep the Ring. What kind of destiny was that? He was not the type to just allow whatever life had planned when he did not like the result. He made his own destiny, and he was not going to let some two bit thief claim him, even if he had to slaughter ever single one of them.

He had long since gotten tired of waiting too. It was then that he had the idea to simply take matters into his own hand. He could not wait for someone to come along and prove themselves more worthy for him. He needed someone sly and quick, someone like him. He needed to get into the world and find out what was going on, and what this so called destiny was.

He could move the Ring on his own now, he had for a while now, but he couldn't do it very quickly. Actually being able to pick it up and move it took a lot of concentration and effort, so stealing it himself and trying to leave was out of the question. He needed someone else, as much as he loathed to admit it. He was dependent on whoever would have the Ring, but that had never meant he would be unable to find them himself.

He'd started to wander, finding the men on his own. He could make the living hear him for short amounts of time, but didn't bother to do it much before now. There was no point with the tomb keepers, and the towns folk would simply think themselves crazy if he tried to talk to them. Still, now that he had a reason, he was more than eager to use his powers.

Gripping the minds of his victims was almost too easy. He couldn't control them, not completely, but they could hear his suggestions, seeming to listen too eagerly to his whispers of treasure. In a land where they were many poor, it was easy to yank their mind in a place where he wanted it, forcing them to try to steal his Ring and make off with it.

None of them that he picked where his intended host, far from it. He had no desire to pick any of them for real, but they could carry the Ring out, they could find his proper host. There was no more time to wait, and with every attempted escape, he grew more and more hungry for the outside world. It would mean being one more step closer to finding the Pharaoh and using him to kill Zork.

Many of his attempts failed. He was always caught, brought back with the Ring and forced to kill the damn thief. He didn't feel a shred of guilt that he was leading them to their deaths, but the way Shadi was beginning to look at him when no one else was around told him that the wielder of the two Millennium Items knew what he was trying to do. He really didn't care if he approved or not. After all, the Ring did not belong to him.

Besides, Akefia's way of doing things did prove themselves fruitful. One of his attempted escapes had led a strange white haired man back to the tomb. He had looked odd, it was obvious he did not belong to this land, and he had followed them back when he had seen Akefia's latest victim try to get away with the Ring. He had offered to pay for the gold in order to spare the man's life, but Shadi would have none of that nonsense and had warned him about going around while foolishly exclaiming loudly he had enough money to pay for large pieces of gold on a whim.

The foreigner had followed them, had witnessed the gruesome 'test' of the thief being forced to try on the Ring, and had been caught. Shadi spoke of testing him and for a moment Akefia had wondered if he would have to kill this man too, for he certainly didn't seem strong enough to have the power at the spirit's hands. However this time the Eye had been pulled out and given to him.

Surprisingly enough, the Item had accepted the foreigner. Akefia was happy to see it go as well. The Eye had belonged to the man who had, even through the influence of a demon, destroyed his home. He was happy not to have to look at it anymore.

But Akefia was still just as eager to get away from the damn tomb. His escape attempts did not end, nor did he give up. In fact, he had only started to draw more and more mortals to him, sure one of these times he would succeed in getting away and finding his host on his own, because waiting for fate to get off it's ass and actually do anything had long since gotten old.

This mortal was certainly getting farther than any of the others had. He seemed a bit healthier. Akefia could do nothing to really help him speed up, aside from yelling to go faster. He wondered for a moment if Shadi was beginning to get irritated with him over this. Even after thousands of years together, it was still so hard to tell what was going on in that man's head. Of course, Akefia would be just as happy not to know and never have to see him again.

The tomb keepers were getting closer. A bad sign. He actually felt hopeful about this mortal. He wanted to get out of here, anywhere would be better than judging and killing thief after thief in this endless damn cycle. He had always thought of himself as a man of action, but he was being forced to sit like a good boy and wait for who knows what. Well, he'd be damned before he let that happen. Ironic actually. He already was damned in a way.

He spied a corner along the road of the city, forcing the man to turn that way. The Ring had never gotten this far, but Akefia had wandered often. He knew these roads, the twists and turns, where the best place to hide was. He hoped that it would give him an advantage over the keepers, who would go into the city, but had stayed underground more than not.

He did not have much of a plan beyond just getting away, but he was quickly thinking. He was good on his feet, and he was beginning to think that now was a very good time to come up with the next phase of his plan. He was getting very close to the market place. He smirked suddenly as he decided now was finally the time he would get away from those damn idiots.

"Drop it," he hissed in the thief's ear. The mortal did it without question, completely in Akefia's thrall and kept running. The dead Thief King pushed it, able to move the Ring enough for that, hiding it in the shadows and watched the tomb keepers run past him and after the mortal he had been using. He'd run for a while before he would begin to wonder what was going on. It always took mortals forever to be able to break free of his control.

How pathetic.

He waited patiently, watching the people go about, some of them curious what the commotion had been about, but they quickly forgot it. Akefia did not see the tomb keepers come back. Either they had caught the man, which was very likely, and were taking another route back, or they were still chasing. Too bad Shadi hadn't come with them. Too bad for them that is. Akefia never would have been able to hide the Ring from him. He just seemed to have a knack for getting in the way and knowing where the Ring was.

"This is fate now," he muttered with a grin. "Don't interfere, you stupid little ghost."

It wasn't until dusk that Akefia decided to act. He waited for a random mortal before practically jumping her, some teenaged female. She didn't put up much resistance, and without a word, she picked up the Ring from it's hiding place, slipping it under the folds of her skirt. He didn't plan to use her for long. He didn't have much of an opinion on kids, but he had no desire for her to be caught with such an thing. It wouldn't end well for her, that was for sure.

He led her to the market. He felt a little bad for her, sure she had a family that could use some money for food. She looked pretty skinny, then again, who didn't here? The first stand that looked promising was his target, and he forced her to walk to the one and reveal with Ring. The shop keeper was immediately interested, but only offered a measly price. Just because he could, the Thief King gripped the man's mind too, making him give her a better offer. It was still nowhere near the worth of it, but this whole damn city could never pay for an Item of nearly limitless dark power. No city could. That sort of thing was worth so much more than what monetary wealth could ever achieve.

Feeling he had gotten away finally, he let himself relax. He didn't bother to wonder what had happened to the mortal he had used, nor did he care much. He released the girl as well. She would surely be surprised by the money now clutched tightly to her chest, but if she had half a brain, she'd not question the matter and just use it. She'd seemed intelligent enough when he had overshadowed her. She'd be a good girl and get some food. As it was though, he had no more interest in her than he did for the thief he had abandoned, now that she had done her part.

He kept his influence on the shop keeper though. He didn't trust the man. He seemed slimy somehow. Probably the kind of men who made profit off the pour by giving them pennies for their goods and then selling them for ten times as much, if not more. He didn't want the Item passed off in greed. He needed to find a good host, someone he could trust his revenge to.

He waited a while, the days passing by. He didn't see anyone who caught his eye, settling into his new home as it were. There were some tourists, but mostly the city was filled with people who lived in the street. Some of them seemed more than well off, and some seemed so poor they might as well have lived in his time, they had so little to their name. He didn't see any of the tomb keepers either, which had surprised him. He had thought they would come looking for the Ring, or that Shadi would come back to claim it. Neither happened and he was glad for it. Now that he was free, he was determined never to go back to that stinking pit he'd lived in for so long. He'd almost come to hate it as much as his own damn Soul Room.

It wasn't until the second week was coming to a close did something interesting happen. A man dressed like some explorer had come to the table, wearing a warm smile and glasses. He seemed to be a little hot, his blue hair tied in a pony tail and sweating a little, even under the shade of his hat. He even had some dirt on his hands and face. There was nothing very interesting about him, a little bit more tan than most of the tourists, but still pale in comparison to the people who lived here.

He spoke fluently though, something most tourists didn't. Often Akefia had to listen to half sentences and mangled phrases, but this man definitely knew the language.

The smiling stranger introduced himself as Dr. Bakura. Apparently he was a historian of some sort, and came here to work often. He babbled something about an interesting find he'd been asked to come look at, and how he found the work fascinating. Akefia, usually caring little about what mortals had to say to one another, listened with rapt attention. This man... he was perfect. A historian, and apparently he was an expert on Egypt. There would be no better prospect that would come along, and he knew it. This was his host, he was sure of it. Still young, and he looked strong too. He'd have to have plenty of resources as well, all sorts of knowledge to tap. Who knew, maybe he would even have a way to find the Millennium Puzzle, and in that, the pharaoh.

He had the shop keeper sell the Item immediately, offering the doctor a good price. Akefia was practically laughing at how well things were coming along, glad things were FINALLY falling into place for him. He had known waiting would do him no good. He never would have found this man waiting for him in the tomb.

He didn't immediately take over the doctor, nor urge him to do anything with the Ring. He felt like observing him would be a better choice for now, see what he did under his own influence. Besides, now that things were finally going according to plan, he didn't not feel terribly rushed. Next was to find the dead king and find out what he had done to defeat Zork. He doubted this Bakura man had the Puzzle in his pocket though. No, there was time to see what was going on, and to plan his next step based on the information he would soon have at his disposal. For now though, Akefia felt like relaxing.

Waiting in his Soul Room seemed logical, even though there was nothing to really do there. He considered opening the door to Zork, just to taunt him, but didn't bother with it. He had a feeling Zork could see what was going on just as well as he could, if not better. He was not going to risk that demon being able to influence his soon-to-be host, fighting him for control. No, best just to let the thing stew in its little cage, as Akefia had been forced to do for so many years.

It seemed calming, to know he finally had achieved the biggest part of his need for revenge. With a host, things would be much easier. The ability to move around, to bring the Ring wherever it needed to go. A permanent body he could rely on would be a welcome change of pace, especially since he had gone so long without one.

He was aware of the man as he worked. He watched him from the Ring, interested in what he did. Mostly it seemed he poured over old books and text, some of them older than even Akefia himself was. He was always absorbed in his work, and was a focused man. Not once did Akefia doubt himself for choosing him. It was the perfect mortal for him to use.

Akefia had expected the doctor to stay in Egypt for a while, but it was only after a few days of finding him that he was leaving. Explaining to the colleagues he worked with he had a very important affair he had to get to, and that he would be back in a few days, Akefia had been forced to follow him, the Ring still in his possession. It was only curiosity and the urge to learn more about this man that he did not just take him over then. Who knew, maybe there was more to learn wherever they were going.

He stayed hidden in his Soul Room, not liking the plane thing they had flown in. Akefia had seen a few in the sky, but he didn't like them. He didn't understand how something other than magic could allow such a large thing to fly, and it seemed more than faulty to him. If it fell out of the sky and killed his future host, he would be beyond pissed.

However, the flight was an easy one, and Akefia watched as the man walked though a country he had never laid eyes on. The building looked sturdy and large, and everyone was pale colored and dressed in odd clothing. If anyone could have seen Akefia, he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. The doctor eventually came to a large house, his home without a doubt. The Thief King had little interest, until he saw the door get thrown open by a... no, it couldn't be...

Akefia had to rub his eyes, though as a spirit, there could have been nothing in them. But... he was looking at himself... somehow.

The boy was small, but a mop of white hair and pudgy cheeks. It had been so long since Akefia had been a child, so long since he had seen himself in water or a dusty mirror, but the kid looked exactly how he had. It was odd, there was so little in common with the boy. His skin was like alabaster, he was so pale, even more than the others and his green eyes dazzled in a way Akefia's was sure his own dull blue eyes never had... and yet he looked... exactly like him. He didn't see how it was possible for the boy to look identical and yet like his opposite at the same time, but he pulled it off somehow.

The young boy, Akefia guess maybe seven or eight, ran up and hugged the man. They spoke in a language that he had never heard, so he ignored it. Was this man a father? A bad development if he was. He'd planned to have the man to himself, to do what he wanted with him without being interfered with.

He paused for a moment before shaking his head. This was getting more complicated than he had planned. Ra damn this life he had. He was thinking too much. No, he was just going to rest from the damned trip for now. He could work this all out later.

He wasn't sure how long he waited in his Soul Room. Time couldn't technically be watched in this room, not unless he was watching things happen outside of the Ring. He wasn't bothering to though. He had a feeling nothing interesting would happen at the moment, and he just wanted to be able to relax for the time being. He watched the door that housed Zork without much interest, wondering how much longer it would be before he could kill the thing.

He would have drifted to sleep if he could, but such a thing had never happened to him again. He felt bored though, and wondered if the damn doctor had gone back to Egypt when he felt it.

His whole Soul Room shook, a tremor had had never felt before. Akefia quickly scrambled to his feet, wondering what was going on when his door burst open, light filling the room. He quickly covered his eyes, wondering what in all the god's names was going on when the light faded and he looked out of the door.

He blinked in surprise, not seeing the expanse of white nothingness he was used to. Instead, there was nothing outside but a hallway. Curious, he moved closer, peaking his head out the door, incredibly surprised by the door just across from his own.

The door was ajar and Akefia quickly moved forward to shove it open. He didn't know what was happening, but a gut feeling in his stomach told him that he was not going to like it.

If he had been expecting another room like his own, barren and empty, it was not what was waiting for him.

The room was bright and happy looking, the walls not made of stone at all. In fact, the whole room was like something he had never even seen before. The walls that surrounded them were like a long mural, paint blue with white clouds decorating the top of the walls and ceiling. They weren't moving, and he knew they were just painted, but Akefia wondered if he reached out and tried to touch one what he would feel, solid wall or the vapor of the water, the images were so convincing. There were many other things on the wall, a painted rainbow and a castle, a dragon flying overhead and many other wonderful and happy looking things. It was bright as well, as if the painted sun was real and actually beating down on his skin, and the square patch of ground underneath him was covered in grass.

In the grass, there was many small figures, they looked like people, but they were all crudely made. They were of various sizes and appearance too, but they all looked rather happy.

He had not expected this doctor, Bakura to have a Soul Room like this. He had to have had quite the imagination, and must have been more childish than he let on.

It was only then when he turned his head to a corner of the room he had not inspected did he give out a strangled gasp, seeing something he had not expected at all. Something that filled him with horror even in this cheerful little place that suddenly felt every bit as cold and ghastly as his own Soul Room.

There, watching him curiously, was the little boy. He had a black and white bear clutched in his hands and looked as if he had been playing with it before Akefia had come inside.

"No," he hissed. "No, no, no, no, no. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen."

"Konnichiha," the boy spoke suddenly, grinning widely and showing a small gap in his teeth. "O genki desu ka?"

"What?" Akefia asked, not understanding a single sound coming out of his mouth. What kind of garbled language was that?

The child merely stared at him, clearly expecting more of a response than that.

"Look brat, I don't know what you're saying," he stated, crossing his arms. Oh, this was just getting better and better, wasn't it?

The boy looked at him a moment, tilting his head in a quizzical manner. It was obvious Akefia was making about as much sense to this boy as the boy was to him. He sighed angrily, not at all happy with this situation. Why was his Soul Room attached to this little kid's? He... there was no way.

"Dammit. How did this happen? Don't tell me... you're my host?"

He received nothing but a few blinks in an answer. Oh, this was going to get old quick.

"Anata ga omoshiro, misutaa no you na mono wo hanasu."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Unless that means, 'No, I am not your host. This is just some sick joke because the gods want to make your afterlife just as miserable as when you were alive,' I don't want to hear it," he muttered.

He considered his options. He had seen countless rooms, but his had never been attached to any of them. It was unfamiliar territory, and he wished he didn't know what it meant... but he did. Somehow, instinctively he knew, this boy was his host. There was no picking another, not anymore. Had his plan to possess the doctor been for nothing? It seemed so... or maybe it had just been fate bringing him to this boy.

He was glad Shadi wasn't there. There was probably a big, fat "I told you," speech with his name on it when he saw the ghost again. Typical.

"Could this affair get any worse?" he growled out before he felt a tug on his cloak. Looking down, he saw the boy grinning at him, a smile that seemed to big for his own face and he held up his stuffed bear to the thief.

"Purei shitai desu ka?"

He didn't understand the words any better than the first ones that had come from the boy's mouth, but he figured he had the gist of it.

"Sure kid," he said, taking the bear and sitting down in the grass. The child seem appeased, running off to grab another toy before coming back and sitting down in front of him, giggling in a way only a child could.

"So, you're my host, huh? I gotta say, you're not that impressive, Ryou," he muttered as he waved the bear around to appease the child, unaware how he even knew the young one's name.

End of Chapter 3

I can not tell you how badly I wanted to write this chapter, only for that last scene there. I wanted to do the scene of Ryou meeting Akefia since the beginning and it was tempting just to start the story there. Still, I'm happy that I wrote it as I did. I think it worked out very well.

There is never a full explanation how the Ring got from the tomb it was in that Shadi guarded to Ryou's hands. Except for the small scene with the shop keeper and Ryou's father, I don't think there was much of a forthcoming story how it all worked out, neither was there a time line of when he even got the Ring. You get the impression in the anime that it was recently, since Duel Monsters was mentioned during the sale and the game was considered somewhat recent but in the manga such a thing is never mentioned. Also, in Season 0, Yami Bakura mentions thoughts and desires Ryou had as a child and stating he's been with Ryou for years, so it's all a little jumbled. I decided to go with Ryou getting it at a young age, since the more years those two could have together, the better.

As for Ryou speaking Japanese, I don't often have Japanese text in my stories. There's a bad rap you get when you slip in words like kaiwi or desu and I avoid it for that reason. Usually there isn't much reason to put it in, but I wanted to show Akefia really has no idea what the hell the kid is saying. I felt it would work better if the reader also didn't really understand what was being said either, and as it was a short conversation, I think it worked. Besides, Ryou was doing little more than babbling anyway.

Oh and for anyone who noticed, yeah I'm going with Ryou's original eye color. There's not too much of a reason other than I like him better with those colored eyes.


	4. Assuming Control

This chapter is mostly just talking. I apologize for the lack of anything too terribly exciting. Mostly this is just Akefia adjusting to Ryou and his new 'life' with the Bakura family, if that's really what it could be called. I hope that it is not too boring of a read.

All things considered, it's not that bad.

Chapter 4: Assuming Control

Moonlight spilled over the bedroom, a young child sleeping in his bed, a soft smile on his face. For a moment he giggled, the sound slightly muffled by the thick comforter he was under, rolling over onto his side as he did so. Whatever dream he was having, it was surely a pleasant one, nothing in the world bothering him as he slept on, the dream world holding his attention and the real world being still and insignificant as he slept on.

Akefia sat cross-legged on the floor, watching this little boy with his face almost completely covered by his pure white hair. Even Akefia's hair was not such a shade, the slightest tinge of gray to it. It was a little bit of a marvel, something so clean and dare he say it, pure? Ryou looked to be in every way an innocent, untouched by the world around him, clean in body and soul and obviously harmless.

It was the last thing he had expected when he had searched for a host. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. The boy didn't seem what he had imagined when he had thought about taking over a human for his revenge. What could this little boy do to help him against a being like Zork?

It had been only a few days since he had first met the boy in Ryou's Soul Room. Though the experience had not been anything very interesting, just playing with the boy as he babbled at him in his incomprehensible language, it had certainly been insightful in its own way. There was something oddly familiar about him, as if in a way he had always known this boy. While he did not think much of the squirt, somehow he just felt comfortable with him. Perhaps it was only because of all of the years he had spent alone, no one interacting with him other than the mortals he had limited control over or Shadi, but to have someone look at him and not see through him to focus on something else was certainly a good change of pace.

Sadly, it had not seemed to last. It was as if the moment in the Soul Room had not happened. Oh yes, they were still joined, that much Akefia could tell, but Ryou no longer seemed aware of his presence. Once they had both been back in the real world, it was as if he was just as invisible to his host as he was to other human beings. The boy passed him by completely, not looking at him or talking to him as he went about his days in his home as a carefree child.

The family was rather typical, even to Akefia. Dr. Bakura seemed to have two children, Ryou and a younger girl he assumed was the man's daughter along with a wife. It was guesswork on his part who they were, as he couldn't understand a word they were saying. Still the familiarity they had with one another was easy enough to speculate on as he watched them.

He had been able to understand Dr. Bakura when he had been in Egypt, familiar with the Arabic language the people of Akefia's homeland now spoke, but it seemed he did not speak it here. He supposed it was just as well that Ryou was not aware of him in this case. What could he even do if the boy didn't know anything he was saying?

He told himself to be patient. He could pick up their language with enough time. He was already starting to recognize certain words, hearing them over and over. While he had figured out no meaning to any of them, it was still the first step in learning. All he had to do was observe them and wait, something he was probably going to be forced to do anyway.

It had occurred to him that he had spent so much time thinking about how to escape the tomb Shadi had kept him in, he had never considered his options much after that. Centuries had passed, and he was really no closer to killing Zork than he had been when he had first been trapped with him in the Ring. He was going to have to start thinking soon. He needed a plan, and he wasn't entirely sure what the next step was.

Well, no, that was not true. He knew what he needed to do. He had to find the Pharaoh. But how to do that, or what was going to happen afterward was not very clear to him. The last time they had faced off, they had both been trying to kill one another. He didn't think the former king would be keen on sharing the secrets with him on how he had defeated Zork. It was going to be hard gaining his trust, especially since there was so much animosity between them.

In his own mind, he still hated the Pharaoh. Whether Zork had used Akhenaden or not, the people of his village had been killed and used as a sacrifice to create the Millennium Items on the order of the royal family. And the Pharaoh had shown no remorse over their loss.

"The wicked must be punished," he hissed, anger dripping from his voice. It must have been nice, the world being so black and white for the king, ruling over his land with an iron fist. He'd never had to worry about starvation or finding a place to sleep or-

"Stop it," he muttered, trying to keep his thoughts from going in such a direction. Whatever problems he might have had with him, Akefia still needed him to have his revenge against Zork. While he didn't particular like it, he could accept the fact he needed to work with him to do away with a common enemy.

Before all of that of course, he still needed to locate him. Where the Puzzle was now was anyone's guess, and he needed to start looking.

How he would find him was another story. In Ryou's body, he was severally limited. Maybe even more so than before. He could possess humans to a small degree when had been without a host, yet the ability seemed impossible to him now. An attempt to snatch the father's mind had proven that, not a damn thing happening when he had tried.

It had been after the morning of their merging. The boy had awoke, slipped the Ring on and was getting ready for his day. Akefia had simply sat there, waiting to be noticed, to be seen, to even be babbled at again in that crap the boy spewed out. Ryou had turned, stared at the spot the thief was long enough for Akefia to try to say something, then walked right through him to grab his shirt.

He had been expecting much more than that. It seemed wrong that he could not be seen or noticed by even his destined host. Something in him told him that it wasn't right, that their bond should have been stronger than that. To be sure, he had even checked to see if their Soul Rooms were still connected, and sure enough they were still just as strongly linked as they had been the night before.

Deciding then that Ryou was truly useless to him, he had decided to forget about the small child and just go back to focusing on the father. A few suggestions planted in his mind, and he could convince the man to take the Ring back, head to Egypt, and help Akefia in his revenge.

Nothing had happened. Not a damn thing.

He was not even sure how many times he tried, following the man around insistently and demanded to be listened to. No indication was ever given that he had been noticed, nor that the mortal heard a single mental suggestion. His mind stayed locked away from Akefia's control, and by the day was out, the Thief King was incredibly frustrated that he could not shatter something just to ease some of his tension.

He tried to comfort himself with the fact he was at least able to wander the house. Ryou was never without the Ring, something which forced him to stay in the boy's general area but it did not matter too much, as he did not ever leave the house. The farthest he ever wandered was to the back yard to play with the little girl who lived there. Akefia had more than enough range to explore as he saw fit, though without the ability to move anything around, his searching was limited. He could slip in Dr. Bakura's office and look over anything that was in plain view, but while he could move the Millennium Ring, nothing else in the real world would react to his touch, passing through his fingers as easily as if he simply did not exist. It was severely limiting his ability to find any possible leads quickly.

Looking over the boy, he sighed softly. He did not see how this situation was in any way to his favor. But then, he was used to that. Life had never wanted to give him a fair shake. He had to make his own rules, figure out things for himself, no matter how hard it was. If all he had was his sheer determination, he would just have to make due with that. There was nothing else for it.

Staring at the boy determinedly, he began to think. The child was his host. And while there was not much he could do in such a body, it was not as if there was nothing he could accomplish. Ryou could be of some use to him, however small it was.

He had been told that he would link body and soul with his host; that he'd be able to merge with him. He could only assume it meant taking over his body and in order to guide his actions. Ryou was asleep and had soundly been so for several hours. He didn't know how much resistance he might have put up normally, but while unconscious it could not be very much. This might just be the opportunity he needed to fully test his bond with the boy.

Akefia had expected it would have taken a few trials and errors to shift his mind into the body. It had taken some practice to learn how to mold other minds to his will, and even then, the most he could do was give powerful suggestions. It was closer to making them want to do what he wanted more than directly controlling them. Certain individuals were easier than others, the shop keeper having a weak enough will that the dead thief had been able to keep him under his thrall for a while with little to no effort.

However when he reached for the boy, in his mind, he seemed to instinctively know what to do. The Ring was underneath of the boy's pillow, a strange habit he had started since he had gotten the thing, and Akefia focused on it. He could feel, more than see, a small lock inside of the boy's mind. He grinned. This was his specialty, something he could have done with his eyes closed.

'Don't break it.'

He blinked, wondering where that thought had come from. It had not been his own voice in his head, a younger one. It sounded almost like Ryou, though a bit harsher... but he didn't know the boy's language. How could Ryou have spoken to him? Ignoring the odd occurrence, he felt the lock in his mind, slowly examining it. It seemed as if it was a simple design, but this was more than just a physical lock, it represented the kid's mind. He wondered how easy it was going to be to actually get in.

His eyes closed, he concentrated as his mind fiddling with it. He slowly began to work it over, trying to open it delicately, easing it loose. There was so little resistance... it was almost as if he wasn't trying to pick it at all, as if he was meant to open it. Like he was the key, a rightful partner to this lock instead of a foreign element trying to get in without having the right to.

The metal barrier unfastened itself soon enough, the lock dealt with and taken care of. Akefia opened his eyes, and when he did, so did Ryou's.

Akefia groaned softly, suddenly a little tired. Blinking a couple times, he stared up at the ceiling from where he was laying. He felt heavy and slugging, odd really. Wait... when had he laid down?

Sitting up immediately, he looked down at himself. Dressed in soft pajamas and underneath a comforter, he looked down at the slightly pudgy hands of Ryou Bakura. Lifting them, he inspected them slowly, turning them over and stared. Flexing them in the dim light, he swallowed, feeling the wet and tight sensation in his throat.

He... he was inside of Ryou. No, that was not it. He was Ryou. He could feel everything with such clarity, every single thing. The warmth of the blanket around his hips, the way his clothes were resting on his small frame, the slight chill of the room, even the way his eyes felt heavy seemed so intense and fresh to him.

He had been dead for a long time, for a long, long time. Most of his sense had left him, no longer able to feel, smell or even taste. Sight and hearing had been all he'd had, his spirit seeming aware, but the more physical things had long since been torn away from him. Everything was crashing down on him now, sensations he had been unable to feel for so long suddenly just there and demanding his full attention.

He gasped, his throat seeming unable to remember how to draw in breath, almost gagging him. He tangled his hands into his hair and tugged while shaking his head, desperately forcing himself to try to remember how to do something as simply and basic as breathing. The odd sensation of the air being pulled into his lungs burned and tickled at the same time, oxygen traveling in a passage he'd not had for centuries. He found himself coughing, a weak and wheezing sound escaping him as he fought to control himself. Eyes watered and he blinked several times, unaccustomed to the horrible sting of tears. His whole body felt itchy and tight, feelings baring down on him and almost suffocating him. He flailed, crying out and catching at the blankets, falling almost immediately and crashing onto the floor.

The hurricane of sensations died almost immediately as pain erupted in his skull, still there but now much more subdued due to the ache pounding at his head.

Well, that had been graceful.

He laid on the floor for a while, starting to calm down. His head was smarting a little from his landing, physical pain something he was no longer used to, but it hadn't been too bad. It felt sharp on his skull, but he knew he was fine. It was already starting to throb less and less, barely anything to worry about. He'd gotten worse when he'd first tried to learn how to walk as a child.

Sitting up, he felt the thick blanket on his head, mostly covering his sight. Tearing the heavy material away, he glanced at the door. He didn't hear anything, the house still silent and dark. Seemed as if he had not drawn the attention of anyone else in the house. Well, at least there was that.

It seemed as if he'd gotten through his moment of shock easily enough. In retrospect, he probably would have been fine if he had stayed calm. Already he was starting to get used to the feelings of his body, the feel of hair on his neck, the way his eyes watered if he didn't blink often enough, the small sensations he had ignored when alive where already starting to fade in the background again. If he had just sat and let himself get through it, he probably could have avoided a meeting with the floor.

The shock had been sudden though. He had not expected this, not at all. Forcing others into his bidding was different than this. He was merely guiding them, as if looking over their shoulder and telling them what to do in a project. This was something different entirely. He wasn't just controlling Ryou. He was him, in his body, in his soul, in his mind. It was if this body was his own.

He sat in the bundle of blankets and just let himself experience it all. His hands rubbed together slowly, the touch of skin against skin fascinating him. If he had thought he would have felt cramped in the boy's body, he certainly wasn't. Everything responded perfectly, as if he had always been here. His usual height and size mattered little, now in the space of this little boy and finding it to be a perfectly fine fit.

His hands were rubbing a little harder now, generating heat between his palms. Looking down at them, he wondered if he could just sit here the entire night in the cool darkness and enjoy this body that was now, in a way, his.

No, he had work to do. The boy was his vessel, his host. There was no time to dawdle. The longer he had control and just sat here, the shorter amount of time he had to search Dr. Bakura's office. He needed clues, and he wanted to act quickly. Standing up, his hand dove under the pillow and grasped the Millennium Ring before slipping it over his head and around his neck. That done, he looked around, trying to find something that could help him.

There were some materials on the boy's small desk, a bit of clay, and some wire. Scattered around where crudely made figured, much like the ones in the boy's Soul Room, though these were much more poorly made. Well, everything was always more pronounced in one's soul. It was more about the imagination and feelings the kid had than actual physical skill. Ignoring the statues, he grabbed a bit of wire. It was no where near the whole satchel of tools he had once possessed, but it would do.

Sneaking out of the room with the grace the boy never could have pulled off on his own, Akefia made his way through the hallway and down the stairs, taking his time as to not to fall. The last thing he needed was to accidentally snap the boy's neck and kill him. What a wasted effort it would have been to finally find his host after years and to end his life within a few days by accident?

It felt comfortable, to be sneaking around in the shadows again. It was like being acquainted with a friend he had long since lost contact with, but had never stopped caring about, had never stopped missing. He felt an eagerness as he slipped to the locked entrance of the office, a simple wooden door keeping him from his prize. So much easier than most places he had broken into. He peered at the lock for a minute, the design new to him, but he didn't think it would take long. He'd spent a few hours already looking at it when Ryou had been doing nothing worth observing. He'd seen his father open it and secure it with a key, the shape different than keys he was used to, but he had a feeling the mechanics were close enough that he would be able to figure it out.

Taking the wire, he poked and prodded a little, playing with it for a while. He could feel the resistance, not unlike the mental barrier he'd taken down not long ago. Of course, this one was offering up more resistance than the other, but not enough for it to make much of a significant difference. He could still feel it slowly giving way, the turning of small gears as he twisted and prodded, trying to find the spot that would finally give in and grant him access.

He grinned widely when he finally heard a small click, knowing he had accomplished his task. Quickly scurrying inside, he close the door behind him, looking for the little tiny lever on the wall which would give him light. There had to be one around, they were all over the rest of the house. Finally he noticed one close to the door. Reaching for it, he gave a sudden frown when he realized he could not reach it.

Growling, he placed a palm flat on the wall, standing on his toes and stretching his other arm, trying to reach it. His finger just barely pushed it up before he gave a sudden shout as he lost his balance, falling on his ass.

"For the love of-!" Ancient curses left the boy's mouth, in a language Akefia was sure he had never spoken before. He sat there for a moment, frustrated by this puny little body when he could have had a perfectly good and fully sized man who had a key and DAMMIT, why did his life have to suck so much?

Sighing softly, he sat in the now well lit room, his chin resting on his hand. Life was undignified, there was no escaping it. It seemed he would be fated to be the joke of whatever god was watching over him, and surely this had to be one of the god's faults, because this could not just be a bad set of circumstances. The odds just weren't that badly stacked against him, at least not unless it was deliberate, in which case there had to be a god involved leaving the deceased thief sure that somewhere, someone was laughing at his expense right now.

Standing up, he patted himself off and looked around. Bookshelf after bookshelf was lined against the wall, several pictures hanging off of them as well, almost all of them of some Egyptian artifact. Akefia moved to the desk, only having to take a second before he was able to climb up into the seat. His eyes scanned over what was there before he began to shift through it.

He wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he knew he'd recognize it if he saw it. Any kind of lead would be appreciated, any clue on where to go with his next step. Flipping through papers, checking out copies of old scrolls now since just written on regular paper, names of kings he didn't know and of some that he did, books of legends and myths. He spent hours looking through them all, trying to find any scrap of information that he could use.

He would have liked to have stayed focused in his search, but his mind started to wander. He found himself looking a little longer than was necessary at photos of old temples now decaying in age, read a little more of the old stories now recorded by written word. He recognized some of them as stories he'd heard as a child from his parents, or from some of the men as they sat around campfires and drank while talking merrily. Only a few of them were exactly like he remembered, most of them were so different that he found himself snorting at the poor way the original story had been recorded, little in common between the version he had heard and what he now had in his hands. Gradually he stopped looking for the Puzzle and just sat in the room in order to read over the history of his country.

His home...

So much of it seemed old, decayed. Just like him. It was all forgotten and corroded, the paint flaked and drab in important buildings, no longer bright and well kept. How many things of his country had died, buried under the sand lost forever? How much of his home and culture had changed or been lost? How much of it was just waiting to be found again, but most of it never to have such luck?

Even grand places like tombs of old kings and grand palaces where long dead, alone for years before they had been stumbled upon. People argued over the names of well known places, what purposes they had, why they were there. These were things any child would have known in his time! He stared at the scrawled notes in some of the pictures, theories and thoughts about what something could possibly be and mean, the ink scratching at an image of something that had once been sacred!

They had forgotten! All these stupid little mortals didn't remember anything! Nothing important mattered anymore! Was that what age brought? Things that mattered being lost, forgotten, to be speculated about by idiots who knew and understood nothing? What about small villages? They couldn't seem to agree what a statue of a god might be called, too many supposed important details gone, yet Bakura could recognize the very shape with or without its head. What about places that had no old records of history? Did anyone remember them? Did anyone care?

Did anyone remember the name of his home?

He threw the book he'd been holding with a loud yell, slamming it against the wall so hard that it sent various other books falling to the floor from the bookshelf they had been stacked on. The loud crash and several thumps of the heavy texts descending quickly snapped him out of his flash of anger that had built up inside of him. His breathing very rapidly calmed down, smoothing out from its quick rasps to a normal pace again.

Swallowing, his head perked up at the soft sound of footsteps. They were coming down the stairs, he realized with a sudden feeling of panic in his chest. Scrambling down from the chair, he jumped at the door to turn the lights off. Switching the lock on the door in place, he quickly slipped out and slammed door shut harder than he would have liked. Hoping he had enough time to get back to bed, he turned from the entrance, gasping in shock as he saw a young girl standing in front of him, her gaze curious with a finger resting on her lips.

Hair white like Ryou's, though tinted blue as opposed to the pure white Ryou possessed, it seemed rather messy even in her twin pigtails, as if she had just gotten out of bed. No doubt she had been woken up judging from the sleepy gaze in her eyes, and it seemed to confirm his suspicions when she rubbed at her face in the typical drowsy, childish manner.

"What are you doing, onii-chan?"

Akefia blinked, feeling more than a little surprised. When she had opened her mouth, he had been expecting an experience much like the one he had had with Ryou, babbling that he could not understand, and his own words too foreign for the other to understand either. However, somehow, he had understood her. The words that had come from her lips had been both foreign and familiar to him, as if he was hearing them with two sets of ears. He supposed he was. While what he heard should have made no sense to him, the meaning was entering his mind almost as quickly as she had said them. Yet he was not hearing his own language or Arabic spoken. Her words still sounded a little jumbled, however, he could just tell the sounds of some of her sentence not matching the flow of the last word she had spoken.

'She's speaking two,' he realized. 'English and Japanese.'

How the fuck had he known that? Just what the hell was Japanese?

It clicked in his mind Ryou had spoken to him in that language, information he would have been more comfortable not knowing, since he shouldn't have been able to make that correlation from just hearing one word from the girl. There was more than just translation happening in his head, things he should not have known yet did anyway clicking into his mind, like the information that she had called him brother, recognizing all of her words, no matter what language she seemed to be using.

The girl was continuing to stare at him, obviously expecting an answer. Dammit! What was he supposed to do? Just because he understood her didn't mean he could do anything. How could he answer her? He doubted she would have understood him, even if he knew that to say.

"What are you doing in Daddy's office?" she asked, her tired eyes starting to look suspicious. Apparently she was taking his silence as guilt, not the ability to respond. Her small face was forming a frown Akefia might have found endearing if he had been her parent, or if he had not been caught by her doing something Ryou should not have been.

"I'm gonna tell," she said suddenly, turning on her heels before he reached out and grabbed her.

"Amane, wait!" he cried, snatching her small wrist in his hand. He didn't even give thought to the words coming out of his mouth, just finding himself saying them somehow. "Wait... I was just... curious. Please, don't tell anyone. I couldn't sleep so I just started to wander around the house. That's all. Please, don't tell. Please?"

She looked back at him, her bright eyes flickering over him. For a second he wondered if she was suspicious, if she might notice this was not her brother she was talking to. His fears seemed to be without reason though, because she smiled a second later at him, a big toothy grin.

"Promise me you'll give me a treat?" she asked.

"Uh... sure, whatever," he said. "Whatever you like."

The girl stared at him for a second, and again Akefia was sure he had just messed up big time. He was not talking like the kid, he knew it. Even not being able to understand the boy, he'd noticed how polite he was, how his voice was timber and small, his voice seeming to be much more reserved and nice than his own. Akefia however was talking as he always did, crude and straight to the point. He hoped the girl was not too bright. With any luck, she'd be too stupid to notice anything.

She looked at him determinedly before shoving her fist out, as if to hit him, but stopped just short of his chest. Akefia blinked as he looked down at it, not sure what she was doing, to why she was pointing at him with her pinky of all things.

'It's a pinky promise,' the voice sounded in his head. Okay, that was getting annoying. He preferred to figure things out on his own, not just have it fed to him like this. Yet the knowledge was now in his head, and he had no shame in using it to his advantage. The fact he had not known what a pinky promise was a mere second ago did not matter. He just stuck his own hand out, linking his pudgy little appendage with hers and shaking her arm as gently as he could. He knew he was silently agreeing to her terms, terms that were so simple and easy, but would avoid him trouble. Somehow he knew that he could trust her, that she would keep this secret for him. He knew it was not even out of bribery, that this little girl loved him, and would do anything for him, and she probably just considered the treat a bonus to having a secret she could share with her older brother.

"Amane," he said, looking at the little girl with emotions that did not feel like they were his own. "We should go back to bed."

"Kay!" she cried loudly, the volume of her voice making him cringe, terrified someone else would wake up and come down the stairs to investigate. Feeling more than a little annoyed, he physically pushed her back up the stairs and led her to her room, making sure she was in bed before venturing back to his own and hoisting himself back into his own.

Falling back on it with a sigh, he groaned. Well, he had accomplished absolutely nothing. No, that wasn't true. He had discovered quite a bit, at least regarding his host. It seemed there was more to their bond than he had originally thought, but he was beginning to understand it quickly. It was like they were fused now, closely tied together, but still just separate enough to be their own person. Ryou's mind at least supplied him with answers he needed when he needed them, so it would be safe to take control and not have to worry about running into anyone and suddenly having to become a mute to avoid raised suspicions.

Okay, so he had found nothing on the Puzzle of the Pharaoh. It had only been one short period of searching. He could remain persistent. There was an answer out there somewhere, and he knew he'd find it sooner or later. For now, he was happy with the body now in his possession. After so many long years without one, it felt like a large accomplishment in and of itself. One thing at a time.

He yawned, Ryou's body obviously tired. Though the boy was still asleep, it seemed his possession was still taking its toll. Much like sleep walking, it had to have been a little strange to have the body moving around without the mind awake and giving it conscious signals on what to do. Rolling over on his side, he slipped away from the body, giving it back to the sleeping boy.

He sat down on the floor, going back to watching him. Back in the exact same position he had been in before, as if he had never once left. It was like nothing had happened.

But something had happened. Something huge. In Akefia's mind, things would never go back again. He'd shared Ryou with Ryou, as odd as that thought was. In his opinion the boy was, in a way, his. He owned him. Ryou was his host, his body, his vessel, his tool.

He grinned, a dark and terribly smirk tugging at his lips as emotions that most definitely were his own this time sprang up into his mind.

This child was his possession now. And he never believed in anything going to waste. Chuckling and knowing no one could hear him, he sneered at Ryou as the boy suddenly curled up tighter into himself, the look on his face discomforted and scared, as if having a nightmare.

"You know, don't you?" he whispered darkly. "You know that you're mine. You're life is over, little host. Mine however... has finally begun. After years, untold years, my life, my vengeance will finally start again."

He laughed louder, throwing his head back as horrible and yet fully joyful vocalization escaped him. The young child in front of him only whimpered in his sleep, silently suffering for seemingly no reason at all.

End of Chapter 4

God, that was a dark ending, wasn't it? I wanted to show Akefia, despite having found Ryou, is still a jackass at heart. He isn't going to be warming up to the boy any time soon. As with everything else, these things take time. Though I have to wonder, was I the only one who wanted to hug this guy as he got pissed as all get out when he realized just how dead he really was. No, not a single person remembers Kul Elna aside from himself and Zork. What a cold comfort that much be.

I was unsure how I wanted to write this chapter, how to properly portray Akefia taking over Ryou and finally having his own body again. Honestly there were many of these scenes I had to rewrite in order to make it work. I was wondering if having him understand anything would be a good idea, the languages, how to take over Ryou, things that were all fairly left unexplained by the canon story. The closest thing I had to work on was Yami when he took over Yugi in Season 0. It all seemed to work out pretty fast in the anime, but there you get the impression all of meeting Dark Yugi and the game with the monsters at the end was all in Ushio's head, and in the manga you have no idea how long it was before Yami Yugi got off his ass and ordered Ushio to meet him at the school after hours in order to play a merry little game of, "Let's stab money on our hand to determine if I get to mentally fuck you or not," and subsequently punish him.

Of course, I always assumed the spirit of the Puzzle probably spent the eight years watching little Yugi grow up. He probably picked up Japanese from observing the boy and his family, and the Puzzle in itself was obviously the lock into Yugi's mind, the only difference on who had to get past that barrier.

Okay, I'll admit it, it's two part reasoning, three parts me just making it up. If the show had given me more to go on, this would have been much more concrete. As it it, I think I filled in the blanks well without just resorting to, "Well... uh... a wizard did it," which I can honestly say I've seen often in fanfiction.

Also, on a note in case anyone picked it up. While Amane was talking to him in English and Akefia realized she spoke both Japanese and English, he only seemed confused over what Japanese was. I wanted to show he was picking it up through Ryou's mind, however the reason he didn't think 'What was English' was because he already knows of that language. It's an official language spoken in Egypt (probably mostly for the tourists) so I think he would have heard it before, known what it was, but not be able to speak it.

I'm trying to explain the language thing a lot in this story, mostly because I feel it should have been a bigger barrier than what it actually was in the show. Just one of the things that was never touched upon but I think should have been.

Anyway, that little explanation/rant aside, please be kind and review. I could use some feedback on this.


	5. A Lost Life

Hello, all of you loyal readers. I'm happy to bring to you another installment of Chains of Shadows: Kul Elna's Redemption. Despite the increased hours at work and the stress of catching up on bills, I think I was able to beat back writer's block and I hope that you like this chapter. Real life has been taking up time, but slowly and surely it's getting back on track.

Anyway, I had a review asking about a minor plot hole in the last chapter. Akefia was reading about the history of Egypt and got angry. I didn't mention this, but there were many reports in different languages, and he was only bothering with the ones he thought at first glance he would understand, that being mainly the Arabic ones. As Dr. Bakura is stated to travel around a lot, I figure he has many different assistants where he works and having multiple copies of material can help a lot.

I considered going back and rewriting it to include Akefia bypassing the English and Japanese texts, but it seemed a little pointless. So I'm just putting the info here for anyone who is interested. A big thank you goes to Chrysanthemums for catching this small mistake and pointing it out to me. If anyone ever sees something that does not seem to make a lot of sense, please, feel free to point it out to me.

That being said, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh. It is a creation of Kazuki Takahashi and I only wish to show my love for his creation by writing this story as a dedication, not as an intention to claim it as my own. Please support the official release.

Chapter 5: A Lost Life

It was odd how one who had, in a way, lived for so long had in actuality done very little. Akefia was not the type of man who enjoyed sitting around and doing nothing, yet there had been many long periods of time in his existence that he had been forced to do just that. While he had always done what he could, explore the land around him, learn his limits and potential of power with the Millennium Ring, try to theorize on just what he could eventually do to destroy Zork, he had always felt as if he were simply waiting around. It had always felt like a waste to him, something that had grated on his nerves to no end when he had been trapped in the tomb. It had been the main reason why he had longed for escape for so long, and why he had tried so many times to get away.

It was no doubt the reason why he was suddenly feeling the urge to be so busy now. It felt as if his purpose had finally started, like a renewed wave of energy had hit him and he was finally working towards his destiny and revenge.

There was rarely a time that Akefia was not plotting now. He was constantly looking over Dr. Bakura's work, either during the day as best he could on his own, or at night when possessing Ryou's defenseless body. While the first time had been a small challenge to figure out just how to make it happen, and a shock to once again have a living body, the second time had not nearly been as difficult. It quickly became second nature to walk in the boy's skin and within a few attempts it was as if he was merely putting on a well fitted mask.

Akefia had of course played it safe at first. The mess in the doctor's office had not gone unnoticed and there had been questions about what could have happened. The boy seemed to have no memories of the little adventure though so he had no possible explanation on how a bookshelf could have ended up in such disarray, unknowing of the fact that he himself that had caused that destruction. It didn't seem as if Dr. Bakura suspected his children outright, but he did make sure to mention to both of his offspring that his work was both old and delicate, and could be damaged easily so it was not a good idea for them to play near his things. It had not been an accusation, merely covering the bases if his children somehow had been involved, but it was enough for Akefia to realize he had to be more careful with his actions from now on.

He didn't posses the boy when there was a risk of getting caught. He made sure only to work at night, taking over once Ryou had fallen asleep before he snuck downstairs to continue his search. Doctor Bakura had added an additional lock, but the thief had merely chuckled the first time he had picked it, finding the attempt almost pathetic. For hours he would search, looking through anything that might have been of use. Looking over the dates and history, he wanted to be able to pinpoint the rough amount of time when the Pharaoh had had the throne, at least within the century. He did not remember a specific year number, nor had he really known it when he was alive, living on the outskirts of society too much of his life to know things like that. And of course the numbers flowing backwards in the B.C. format didn't make it terribly easy but still he searched. He needed clues, an idea of where the god-king might have been buried, and what could have happened to his Puzzle. A look at his life from the history books was as good a place to start as any.

Before, his somewhat slow progress might have angered him, but he found himself feeling at peace now. He was finally accomplishing something, moving forward with his plans. He had a wealth of material to go through and every night he searched more and more. He truly felt like he was getting closer, and that even if he did not come to the answer after only a few nights, it was waiting for him somewhere. He merely had to keep searching for it.

He did not tax Ryou for long each night. After only an hour or two, he allowed the boy to go back to his bed and rest. It wasn't so much that he was worried about him, but any longer than that and the boy seemed horribly tired when he woke up. He couldn't risk his family suspecting anything was wrong or amiss and so did his best to allow him the energy to go about his normal activities during the day.

Akefia had wondered what would happen if he took over the boy during the day, if such a thing was possible. Ryou's mind was easy to overshadow and push back in order to grant the thief control when the young one was asleep, but he didn't know if it would work as well when he was awake. Ryou did not remember what Akefia did every night because of unconsciousness, just as unaware as he would have been if he had stayed in bed and merely dreamed all night long.

Most of the time he just watched Ryou. The boy had a quiet nature about him. While he did not shun his family by any means, the boy always seemed just as happy alone as he was with them. He could entertain himself for hours by himself in his room, playing with his toys or reading, or by making models. It was what took up most of the boy's free time, and while they were crude works, his enthusiasm for his hobby was obvious. Akefia could spend hours watching the child mold the clay to his liking, his expression seeming to change by the minute, determined with his tongue clenched tightly in his teeth, or brow furrowed as he did his best to detail his little people, and the look of happiness and joy when he finished one.

Akefia had seen similar looks from others, craftsman in his village mostly, proud of their work and the items they had created. He remembered once watching the local glassblower working, an old man who didn't have much work in such a small village, but still a loved member of the community. He'd been young at the time, long before he had turned to crime, becoming the Thief King and long before his village's murder. It had been a hot day, but an even more stifling heat was radiating from a coal oven built into the glassblower's small hut. Akefia had watched in amazement as the man made bubbles and globes from the material, glowing almost red in the sunlight. It had been a simple thing, but wonderful to a young impressionable child, even as he was eventually scolded for coming too close to the fire and almost burning himself.

It had been a shame too. The old man had promised him a good price for an ornament, which would have been a nice gift for his grandmother, but when he'd been caught by said old woman his backside had been tanned for wandering off from home before doing his chores. In his anger, and admittedly sulking, he had sworn not to buy the gift for her after all.

It had been such a wasted opportunity. He should have gotten it for her anyway...

Akefia sighed and covered his face with one hand and shook his head.

"You're thinking too much," he muttered sternly to himself. "Keep the prize in mind. You can find the Pharaoh. You just need to continue your search."

He was just about to get up and walk away when the door to the bedroom suddenly opened. Both the dead thief and the boy he was haunting looked up and saw Amane standing there, hand on the doorknob and grinning brightly.

Akefia wondered idly what the brazen child could want. The thief had only been here for about a week now, and he'd not bothered watching his host's little sister too much, but what he had seen of her had been... well, memorable. She was cute, in an annoying six year old kind of way. While her brother was quiet to almost the point of appearing withdrawn at times, she was beaming, loud and cheerful. It was impossible not to notice her presence almost the second she came into the room, something about her that just demanded your attention. She was like a boundless source of energy that could not be ignored because she just wouldn't allow it.

Yet, she wasn't a bother. Akefia could tell her family loved her very much. Something about her smile seemed to be contagious because she could get anyone to laugh and be happy with her. She was almost like the sun itself in the sky, her brightness and warmth spreading to others without so much of an effort on her part.

He chuckled a bit at the blasphemy he'd just thought, comparing a simple child to the sun, and thus Ra. Such presumptuous words would have gotten him stoned while he was still alive. Then again, almost any of the words he had spoken should have gotten him killed, if they'd been quick enough to catch him in order to deal out the punishment that is.

He'd let his thoughts wander as she came into the room, walking up to her brother. He couldn't understand what they were saying, learning that while the language barrier was no problem while he was in control of Ryou's body, that didn't seem to be the case when he was not in control of him. It was only with a mild interest that he casually kept an eye on them, wondering what could be so exciting to the girl to suddenly burst inside of the room like this. However when he noticed his host's rather confused expression his eyes widened in alarm.

"SHIT!" he yelled, suddenly aware of what was going on, especially as Amane started to look more and more insistent. She was after her prize, the bribe that had come with the promise on her silence, a promise her 'brother' had made and had no memory of it all.

He wasn't sure what he was thinking when he shot forward at Ryou. He just knew that he couldn't risk the girl blowing his secret searches at night, and had to do something about it. He'd never had reason to possess the boy during the day, but now he sincerely wished he had at least experimented and practiced. How could he have been such a fool to not think it would be necessary one day? Well, there was no time to think it over now.

"-on, onii-chan. You promised me."

Akefia did not pay attention to the bit of speech he'd understood, whined practically in his ear. He merely blinked and looked down at Ryou's body and around himself. That... had been much easier than he would have thought it would be. Curiously, he tried to concentrate, reaching into his mind and searching for Ryou's presence. The boy was still there, despite his mind being pushed aside when the thief took over, it was ever present and could not be completely suppressed. Yet, Akefia found it as he always did, asleep. Had he put the child to sleep himself? That quickly? It seemed too convenient.

"Are you listening to me?" he suddenly heard before his arm was grabbed and tugged. The 'boy' barely even noticed, and didn't budge an inch. He'd found despite being a young body that had it's limits, he seemed to have his own strength and stamina. The girl probably could have yanked all day and he wouldn't have moved.

Looking sharply over to her, he pulled his hand away quickly and decided the best thing to do was give this girl what she was after and then just get back to his room. He could think this all over much better in solitude, so giving her what she desired would be the easiest way to appease her and let him sneak off. He obviously had a lot he needed to think on.

"Okay," he said, wondering if Ryou had some affectionate nick-name for her. Should he try to call her something. No... best not to risk it. If he said something strange she might notice. "What would you like to have?"

"A lollipop!" she cried almost immediately, grinning widely and showing a small gap in her teeth. Well, wasn't she an excitable one? "Mum's with the wash outside and I was hoping for some candy."

She twisted up her skirt in her hands and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Please?"

Akefia wanted to be annoyed, he really did, but he had to admit, she did look downright adorable, the little brat. He didn't think he could have ever pulled off a look like that in his own home, but perhaps if he had had a sister when he was alive, she would have. Little girls always seemed to get away with more than he ever had. Something he hadn't even realized until now.

'Mind is drifting again,' he reminded himself firmly. 'Knock it off and get her what she wants already.'

"Alright, Amane," he said. "I'll get you the candy. Come on, before... Mum comes back inside."

The words felt so foreign on his tongue, but he did his best to not worry about it. However the little translation worked for him, no matter how strange it was, it was still useful. He wasn't about to question it. No doubt if he thought about it too much he might start speaking in his own language and leave the girl baffled.

Taking her hand after remembering Ryou did sometimes lead his sister around the house like that, he led her downstairs and toward the kitchen. Through a large glass door he saw the boy's mother, hanging up sheets on clothes lines just outside. A somewhat short woman with curled brown hair in bouncy locks, she looked and acted kind, doting on her children and motherly in a tender way. Certainly nothing Akefia had experienced when he'd been their age, but had seen in some women before more and more common as the years went on and people became what they believed were more civilized. More weak in his opinion. Personally, he felt the soft-heartedness was coddling them, but what did he really care one way or the other? It's not like it affected him or he could change it.

Seeing she would be busy for a while, Akefia tried to remember where the candy was. Ryou didn't ask for treats much and the information didn't seem to be popping into his head like it did the last time he'd spoken with her. Seemed this wasn't important enough for any answer to be forthcoming.

"Where is it?" he eventually asked the young girl, not wanting to stand around and look like an idiot in front of her. However, the question seemed to be a poorly chosen one because she looked at him with an expression he couldn't quiet place, but had a feeling it wasn't a good one.

"Up there, remember?" she asked, pointing a finger up at the cabinets above the kitchen counter. Akefia tried to look nonchalant and shrug, giving her a grin.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Guess I forgot. Here, give me a second to get it for you. Wait right here."

Grabbing a stool, he positioned it in front of the counter and climbed up onto it. He could see now why she had wanted Ryou to do this. She would have had a tough time getting up here by herself at her height. Even for him, it was a bit tough with his restricted body. He really wanted Ryou to be at least a couple feet taller. It would have been so much more convenient for him.

Opening the cupboard, he found a jar with brightly wrapped candies. Snatching it up quickly, he shoved his hand in and grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his pockets. It was just sugared sweets, but he couldn't help but feel a little thrill at successfully stealing something. Seizing something from right under the nose of an unsuspecting victim and keeping it for his own, it was a thrill he had not had the pleasure of indulging in for a very long time and he had greatly missed it. You just couldn't beat the feeling, really. And while it was just a snack taken from a preoccupied mother for a little girl to enjoy, it was still the principle of the matter on something he could enjoy again.

Feeling rather pleased with himself, he stuffed the jar back into place and shut the door a bit hard as he congratulated himself on a successful theft. However, he didn't notice the edge of the counter just behind his heel until he felt his weight give way backwards, slipping off and feeling himself fall as a loud shriek pierced his ears.

It seemed even after years of being dead, reflexes and instinct did not wear away so easily. Without a thought he tucked into himself, bracing himself for the contact right before he caught the floor with his hands and rolled, letting the momentum take him forward and to his feet, not even breaking a sweat from the fall. It had barely lasted a few seconds, but to him he was a little marveled... and pleased. Who would have known he was still capable of that, and in a body he'd barely been able to breath in the very first time he had inhabited it? Seemed he had much more control over this flesh than he had first figured on.

He felt eyes on him and he turned, a little flabbergasted to see Amane staring at him in complete shock. He mentally cringed, suddenly aware that Ryou probably did not have kind of dexterity on his own, and would have no doubt fallen and cracked his skull open. Hmm, maybe he should have been less graceful about that. He could have hit the floor, but then again he'd had no reason to do such a thing at first.

"Oh wow!" she cried and began to clap her little hands together excitedly. Not exactly the reaction he was expecting, but he supposed it wasn't a bad one really. "That was amazing, onii-chan! How'd you do it?"

"Magic," he muttered, glancing out the glass door. The mother hadn't noticed anything, the idiot woman. Still hanging up clothing as if her eldest child hadn't nearly fallen over and broken his neck. She hadn't even heard Amane's scream. Either she was too trusting of her children to not even leave the door open to listen for them or she was just plain moronic.

He snorted. Coddling for sure. His grandmother never would have dreamed of letting him get away with something like that. She would have beaten him black and blue for something so reckless.

Oh well. At least he hadn't been caught. He was thinking it was a good idea to get away from the kitchen however.

"Come on," he said, indicating to her he wanted him to follow her by nodding towards the kitchen entrance. The candy secured in his pocket, and not even slightly bent up he thought with a smirk, he left the room and headed back upstairs to his room. He could give her the candy there and send her on her way, hopefully to have the rest of the day in peace.

She followed him in, closing the door behind her and plopped down on the floor. Smiling happily, she reached out for her treat and he dug the few pieces out from his shorts and handed them to her. Immediately tearing the wrapper from a big purple one, she popped it into her mouth and hummed, obviously pleased with the candy.

He was just about to ask her to leave when she pulled it from her mouth and gave him a thoughtful look. Worried perhaps she was going to question him and his behavior, she instead sighed and looked down at the ground.

"Daddy is gonna leave again tomorrow," she said softly. "He's never around no more."

The thief hadn't anticipated that sort of comment, and wasn't really sure what to say to it. Apparently though, she hadn't been expecting an answer, because she continued without so much of a word from him.

"He's always going away to work," she said with a pout, for the first time seeming to lose the happiness from her voice. Instead she sulked and balled her hands up into fists, looking frustrated and helpless in a way only a child could, seeing something as unfair but unable to do much of anything to change it. "He stayed a bit longer than he said he would, but only 'cause of you playing in his work space."

Akefia thought back. Actually, thinking about it, he did recall the man telling his colleagues that he would only be gone for a few days while he'd been in Egypt. Had he merely stayed to try to secure his work from his young children's hands? He bit his lip when he realized that if the doctor was leaving, most of his research and papers were probably going with him. Damn it. How was he going to find anything now?

Sighing, he realized there wasn't much to do about it. It wasn't as if there was a way he could force the man to stay, and he couldn't possibly bring everything in that room with him when he left. Akefia would just have to work with what was left behind.

He looked at the girl and felt a little sympathy for her. He wasn't sure if it was his own feelings, or Ryou's filtering into his head. Either way, he could not help but see the little girl sitting there in her misery and want to make her feel better. Sighing softly, he sat down with her. He did not reach out for her or touch her in anyway, but he felt he was close enough to provide the comfort nonetheless.

"He only leaves because his work requires him too," he said. "It's common, fathers leaving in order to provide for the family."

"Yeah... but he leaves for so long," she protested. "Sometimes I'm scared he's not gonna come back."

Akefia paused and looked down at the ground. A father that would never come back, leaving in order to provide for his child, and those of the family who were left being expected to care for the youngster. A story only too common when he had been alive, and while Amane's worries were to the point of being childish, that did not make them any less genuine.

"He'll always come back," he lied to her. It was not his promise to make, and he had no way to know that for sure, but damn it if he didn't want her to feel better. She seemed no good when she was pouting. It just did not fit her, nor should it. "He may leave, but he'll come back. He loves you... us too much not to."

Slowly she twirled the lollipop in her hands, seeming lost in her thoughts. He wasn't sure what had brought on her sudden doubts. Perhaps she talked to Ryou often about these kinds of things. He couldn't hazard a guess on that, not really understanding their relationship at all. Granted, he had not been here long enough to. He didn't know Amane at all, had only assumed she was always bright and happy, but maybe he was wrong about that. Though to be fair, even if she was, all humans had doubts, especially children.

"Well, least we got to spend the last bit of our vacation with him," she said, smiling again. "Mummy said he's gonna see us off to school tomorrow before he takes the plan back to work. I can't wait to go back. My first year has been so much fun!"

"Mmmm," he said noncommittally as he wondered just what school was. Whatever it was, it certainly seemed to have gotten her out of her mood fairly fast.

"Onii-chan, are you okay?" she asked as she looked at him curiously. "You seem to be acting a bit strange? Is it because you're worried about Daddy too?"

"Uh... no," he said as he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Amane but I'm getting a little tired. That's all. Do you think I could get some rest, please?"

"You need a nap?" she asked before she popped the candy into her mouth and stood up. "Okay. You get some sleep and rest up. Mummy is making dinner for us all so I'll get you when we're gonna eat. Have a nice nap."

Hugging the boy she thought was her brother rather suddenly, she kissed him on the cheek before leaving the room quickly. Rubbing at his cheek, he couldn't help but notice it now felt a bit sticky. Lousy candy.

Akefia just sat for a while, thinking on what he'd learned. It seemed every little bit of information was becoming more and more important, leaving him with barely enough time to keep up on it all. On top of his own mission he was finding out more about his host, seeing there was more to him and his family than he would have originally thought.

The thief had not thought about his family in a long time, not specifically anyway. He'd wanted revenge for his entire village, his whole home. In time, it had all seemed to blur into one single thing. He'd had family and friends, casual acquaintance, and then faces he's seen but did not know who they belonged to aside from a fellow villager. It had all morphed into one large group over time though. He'd wanted revenge for them all, and had avoided thinking about particular individuals when he'd been alive, the memories just too hard to bare, and when he'd been dead... well, that had been a completely different set of circumstances all together. The mental torture of Zork, passing the years in desperate boredom and determination to get away from his new prison, watching the world change into something foreign and wrong to him, it had all distracted him from thoughts he was much more comfortable not having.

And yet, he couldn't help but think of them now. Watching Ryou's family reminded him of his own, though they could not have been more different. Akefia himself had never had siblings, nor had he had a mother. The woman had died giving him life, a common thing really. He'd never known her, though he'd been told so much about her, he had felt like he had known her on some level, and his father... he'd left like Ryou's father, off to find better things for his family... and he'd never come back. Akefia had last seen him when he'd only been five, younger than even Ryou was now and few details remained in his memories of the man, aside of course the pride of being the son of a bandit who was strong and brave and sly, who's taught Akefia so little before he'd died, but those few lessons the boy had taken to heart.

It was a cold comfort that his father and mother had escaped such a cruel fate of being sacrificed like animals to the Millennium Items, and through them, to Zork. While they had died, it had been long before the massacre. They had escaped, hopefully to a better place, even if it had meant leaving their only son.

All he'd had after them was his grandmother. An old woman, but tough and with a sharp mind despite her age. Her bent frame and wrinkled hands had hidden a strength few would have suspected just from looking at her. He knew it though. She'd been found of beating him whenever he had acted up, and she claimed often that he was a little demon-child that was giving her more gray hairs by the day, to which he often would reply she had nothing but gray hairs. He'd never really learned to keep his mouth shut with her, despite how often she smacked him.

And yet, they had loved each other. He remembered so much more clearly how she would hold him when they would have to go to sleep, gripping him tightly as if he were a treasure she was afraid to lose. She had taught him, sung to him, told him tales of far off lands, and had loved him. Though she was strict, and despite the many arguments they had had, they both knew they were all they had left, and they had cared about each other more than anything. He could have seen himself growing up, helping her with her work for the village. Maybe she would have even taught him her magic when he proved himself responsible enough for it. He could see himself as he was now, young and strong, perhaps working on the house as she picked herbs and advised the villagers.

If only that future had been possible.

He shook his head, suddenly covering his head in his hands. Why was he thinking about all of this? That life was over, long gone. His village was gone, and those who lived there with them. There was no reason to go over memories and think of a life he would never be able to lead. Those chances were long gone, and he had one purpose now. Everything else was simply a useless distraction.

End of Chapter 5

Two downer endings in a row. I'm starting to feel bad for what I'm putting Akefia through. Character development can be pretty tough I guess.

I think this chapter is fairly self-explanatory, so I don't have too much to say, but I will go over a few things. Amane's character was, to be frank, a bit of a pain. I've always had a hard time writing children because I tend to be so long winded and complicated when I write. I don't want to say children are simple minded, but they certainly don't talk in the way I usually have my characters express themselves. I didn't want her to be a babbling baby, because I've been around six year olds and they can actually express themselves quite well, they're just... well, I guess simpler thinking. I hoped I showed this well without making her seem like some child genius or anything. I found it a fine line to walk, but I have a feeling it was only because I was over thinking it myself.

That and I wanted her to notice 'Ryou' being a little off. I think I set it up where it was reasonable without overdoing it.

Also, slight mention on the dates. I don't believe there was a specific occasion that Ryou recieved the Ring for, but I thought it would be a nice touch if he received it on his birthday. (At least there wasn't a mention in the dub or in the manga that I saw. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me.) His birthday is on the 2nd of September and from what I've gathered in a little research, schools in Japan mostly work on a trimester system, the second trimester beginning early in September. So I figured it would be perfect to write the birthday just before school would start again and Akefia could have some time to explore the home and family before worrying about another aspect of his host's life.

Aside from all that, please review to let me know what you think of this chapter. All reviews are greatly appreciated and really make me feel great to know my work is liked. And if you don't feel like writing a comment, just feel free to fave. That works well too, and I appreciate them both.

Also, big thanks to my beta-reader, or as she calls herself, "The much too impatient Beta-Reader!" I couldn't have gotten all the errors in this without her. Sangnoire, you are without a doubt the best. Thanks.


	6. A Strange Kind of Protection

I'll admit, I wasn't sure about this chapter at first. I know I wanted to write certain things out, but as I worked on it, I wasn't sure if it was all necessary. I'm facing a lot of scenes that focus more on character development than actual plot, and I'm trying hard to make sure I don't go overboard and make it boring.

After a little bit of skimming though, I think I keep this an interesting chapter while covering everything I wanted to, yet still avoid the trap of having little to no plot. Not bad every once in a while, but chapter of chapter of that would wear both me as the writer and you guys out fast, I think.

So anyways, as I've said about this fanfiction and many others I have written over the years, I don't own the rights to this. The fanfiction is my idea, but the actual canon content is not. I don't claim ownership and do this only as a tribute.

Chapter 6: A Strange Kind of Protection

Akefia didn't really know why he had felt shocked about school. So many things had changed over the course of the years, he really should have expected the same thing to happen to education. It had not been one of the things that had evolved before his very eyes, but that could have been only because he had not bothered to watch over its change, too concerned over more important matters.

In his own time, education was more family oriented. His grandmother had thought him everything he had known after his parents were gone, and had considered the written word very important, one of the few people in his village that had. He remembered his first lesson, bored out of his skull and wondering why he had to learn how to read when only a small handful of people in the village knew how. It didn't seem important.

"Ignorance is never acceptable in this house," she'd informed him, sternly. "You never know when something could be useful. Tell me what this says... then I'll buy you some sugar as a treat."

The promise of a reward had been enough to get his attention and he'd done his best. Of course, it really had been nothing more than a stick drawing symbols in the sand, but it had been something. And even after she was gone, he'd continued his lessons on his own. To be fair, she was right. It had been very useful in many situations.

But education had been rare. Children were taught what they needed to know to survive. Reading, math and things like that were deigned unimportant in caring for the livestock or farming. It just wasn't necessary. High learning was for royalty and scholars, priests... all things that they would never be. Suffice to say, it wasn't required of them, so why bother?

It was a classic case of separation of the classes, and he had to wonder if anyone had even really cared back then. Hell, that term had not even existed when he was alive. The Pharaoh was considered a god, one who commanded the sun and moon. Peasants had thought themselves so much less than that. If any thought they didn't deserve that learning, Akefia didn't know, but he did know it had been seen pointless for one reason or another. Food and shelter was more important than the written word.

So, he could only feel shock when he followed Ryou to this school place and saw exactly what it was. Children, hundreds of children around the age of his host, milling around this large building. So many, they had to arrange them all in different rooms. He looked around, as far as he could go, looking for some sign of royalty, for priests, for anyone or anything that would explain why all of these children were so special to receive education.

He found nothing.

No holy symbols, no doctrine, no child wearing a crown or a symbol of authority. It was just... normal children, learning. It was mind-boggling to say the least.

He wondered idly when he was going to stop being caught by surprise by this new world around him. Probably never. There were just too many surprises around the corner. But he guessed he would get used to the feeling eventually.

Of course, he could only assume it meant more than just that. This land, this time, things like schooling was more available, no doubt because the comfort could be afforded. Not once had he seen either the mother or father go out to work fields. They bought their food with thin paper, he assumed the currency, and their home was bigger than even some inns he had stayed at. Everyone was like this too. The Bakura family was not particularly special, rich, or privileged. Everyone was allowed these things. Life had become so much less harsh, and everyone could now benefit from it.

He didn't feel too jealous about it. He could have, but he didn't. So what if their lives were easier? So what if mankind had changed and evolved? It was not as if it took anything from his own time. It seemed a shame more children in his life had not had such opportunity, but what would they have done with it? They did what they needed to survive. And these children were expected to learn, just as he had been expected to do chores that taught him how to live. Perhaps they needed this education now. Perhaps it was meant for them to survive, just as a merchant would need to know the art of equations and exchange rates in order to practice his trade.

The whole picture seemed out of his grasp, and he didn't entirely understand it, but he didn't bother to try. His pondering wouldn't change anything. So he just watched. It seemed fairly routine. Ryou and his sister would be brought to school, they would go to a separate room which Akefia quickly figured out was determined by age, and they would learn. They would also play, Amane much more than Ryou. Her class seemed to be little more than singing, painting and other silly things with only the occasional simple lesson. No wonder she liked it so much. It seemed perfect for an impish thing like her.

Ryou on the other hand was another story. Unlike Amane who was able to run about as she pleased, her brother spent most of his time sitting at a desk and studying. The teacher would drone on lectures and write this up on a board, scratching at it with chalk that the children would write down on paper. Ryou was much more studious than the other students as well. While others would play when the teacher's back was turned or pass notes, the boy would stay quiet and just continue his work until the class was dismissed to eat, have a break to play outside, or to finally go home.

Akefia quickly figured out the schedule, following the two to school everyday, watching over Ryou, then going home. It happened almost everyday and all too soon, the thief had gotten used to the pattern.

While he really hadn't had much interest in the boy's day to day life before, he was full of curiosity now. Ever since the discovery he could invade the boy's mind when he was awake, the more he wanted to learn about him. He might have to take over from time to time, and if he did, he had to be able to fool those around him. He needed to learn all he could about Ryou and since he had nothing but time, observing him was first on Akefia's list to do. Especially since the office of Dr. Bakura had been left disappointingly empty. Several books and charts were still there, but all of the man's notes were gone with him, leaving him with little to search.

The fact he needed to learn more was painfully obvious, more about Ryou, and more about the world he was in. He couldn't risk messing up now, not after waiting so long. And so he would observe, watching the lessons Ryou's instructor gave, and the boy himself. Every little detail he took in, from how he would move slowly and deliberately with his every action to the soft and timber tone of his voice whenever he spoke. Akefia even tried to mimic the voice a few times, but he wasn't entirely sure he was any good at it. He was far from a small, soft-spoken boy after all.

Still, he made progress. Weeks went by and every moment that Ryou was awake, unaware of it, there were eyes on him. The thief studied diligently, letting nothing escape his sight when it concerned his host. He watched the lessons and took them as seriously as he had been instructed to take his grandmother's. He began to get to the point where he felt he knew everything about the boy, his every secret, hobby and habit. The language barrier was no longer an issue to him. Fully submerged into it, Akefia could understand what was being said around him just as easily as if he were hearing it through his host's ears.

It was not until the seasons had changed that Akefia felt that he had educated himself enough about his host. The winds were becoming much colder and the people bundled up more against the winds and chill when the thief felt he had to test himself. He could speak English to the point of being fluent now, and his Japanese wasn't too shabby either. It was probably because it had been spoken much less than the other language, even if English was trickier, but he felt confident enough in both of them. Ryou had long since been an open book to him and he had finally decided to see how easily he could pass as the boy.

It felt odd, to say the least, to walk around as Ryou during the day. He took over before the boy had even woken up, climbing out of bed and getting dressed, prepared for the school day. The breakfast had probably been eaten with too much enthusiasm, but it had gotten nothing more than a laugh and a, "My, we're hungry today, aren't we, Ryou?" from the boy's mother. He considered it a success as he chewed down his first meal since he'd died, greatly enjoying having a body again.

It wasn't until he had gotten to school, taken Amane to her own classroom and had begun his own classes that he began to feel strange. He looked over the words he was writing into the note-book when the writing began to blur in front of his eyes. He shook himself mentally, trying to figure out what was wrong.

He felt... sluggish. Rubbing at his eyes, he tried to figure out what was wrong. He had remembered to do everything, hadn't he? Ryou was fully rested, he'd eaten... Hell, Akefia had even made sure not to wear his body out the night before by forgoing spending the night looking for clues. Why did it feel like his body was suddenly shutting down?

'He's waking up!'

Akefia physically jumped in surprise, bumping the desk he was sitting at and nearly send it to floor if he had not caught it in time. It was that damn blasted voice again!

"Ryou, are you okay?"

Akefia looked up at the concerned tone and saw Ryou's teacher looking at him, a little worried. She readjusted her glasses and peered at him, perhaps trying to analyze him to figure out why he'd suddenly caused that ruckus.

"I... I'm fine, Ma'am," Akefia said softly, matching the boy's tone to the perfect pitch, lowering his eyes as he talked. "I just... don't feel too well. May I go use the lavatory?"

"Well, of course, dearie. You go right ahead. Feel free to go to the nurse if you're not feeling any better later on."

The thief smiled softly before scurrying out of the room, trying to calm himself down.

He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he still felt horribly unergetic. His legs were beginning to get wobbly as he walked, stumbling once or twice before he reached the restroom.

Ryou... was waking up? Was that what was causing this? He screwed his eyes shut, trying to concentrate. He didn't even know the boy could wake up while he was possessing him? Granted, he only controlled him for an hour or so before releasing him every night and Akefia was long past that time limit. Maybe it was only natural for his host to regain consciousness after a certain point.

He could feel the boy, pushing for control, trying to get his body back, but the attempts were weak at best. Akefia pushed him back into the corner of his mind, forcing the boy back into dormancy.

"Sleep," he hissed. "Just for now. Sleep. I'm not going to hurt you, damn brat."

It really didn't take much to force Ryou into compliance, but Akefia still felt wary. He'd have to be more alert for things like that. Still, everything was going according to plan. This wasn't even a setback really. No one suspected anything and he'd found out more more things about his connection to the boy.

The only thing left was that voice.

This was the second instance where he had heard it, giving him information and warnings about what was going on. The first time had been when he'd been caught by Amane. He had thought it was Ryou subconsciously feeding him information, the voice had sounded a lot like him, but this time it was... colder, harsher. It had still been his voice but... just wrong somehow.

He suspected Zork, but only for a brief moment. He was still firmly locked away, and sounded nothing like that. Besides, why would he give the thief information that would help him? The demon knew perfectly well what Akefia's success meant. There was no way Zork would aid him in order to bring about his own destruction.

Shaking his head and deciding he could think on that later, he relaxed a bit. It wasn't as if it was hurting him. In fact, it could just be his own mind feeding him this information. He didn't understand everything about his bond to the little mortal. This could have easily been another side-effect of some kind.

Feeling it was a mystery best explored for later, he decided to go back to the classroom. Running his hands through his hair and splashing some water on his face, he felt himself relax. The water felt cool on his heated face and he watched the droplets trickle down his face, clinging to his skin as he stared at himself in the mirror and blinked dully.

He peered at the eyes for a moment, frowning softly. It took him a moment before he realized the color was wrong, a soft and hazy purple tone had replaced the green irises that Ryou had. Blinking, he leaned in closer.

"Huh," he muttered. Now, why hadn't anyone else noticed that? Did his eyes always change when he took over? Strange, no one had ever said anything about it, not even Amane who had been suspicious the last time he's possessed her brother. This was the first time he'd looked at his reflection in Ryou's body, so he didn't know if this happened all the time or not. Actually... he did look a little different than Ryou usually looked.. His face was a bit more taunt, as if the baby fat had melted away, and his eyes weren't just the wrong color, the were shaped oddly, narrower, sharper looking. Even his hair seemed a bit different, standing on edge and looking wire-like in comparison to the soft texture the strands usually had.

Was it just a visual effect, or was Ryou's body literally changing? And if it was, why had no one else mentioned it? It might not have been obvious changes, but it should have been enough to catch someone's attention if they spared him more than half a glance. Maybe... maybe no one could see it. Maybe only he did for some reason.

"The more I learn about you, the more it feels like I don't know you at all, my little host," he sighed. "If you were aware of my presence, I'd say you were doing this on purpose."

Leaving the washroom, he headed back to his class. At least he was no longer feeling out of sorts. That was something to be thankful for. It couldn't be said he never learned anything from this possessions.

The rest of the day passed without much more incident, and Akefia felt he was home free with his experiment. He even went so far as to make eye contact with a few people to see if they noticed his less than customary appearance, but never got so much of an inquiring glance for it. He wondered if he should let his host resume control for the rest of the day as he idly headed for his sister's classroom. It was bound to be strange for the boy if he went unaware of the whole day passing. Perhaps it would be best to give him the afternoon and leave him in peace.

It wasn't until he got to the girl's room that he started to sense something was wrong. The classroom was empty, no one inside, not even the teacher. He checked the watch on his wrist, trying to see if he was late somehow. No, this was always when Ryou arrived to collect his sibling. So why wasn't she here now?

"Amane?" he called, walking into the room. "Amane? Are you hiding? Come on, it's time to go home."

He received no answer, snarling softly. Dammit! Where had she gone off to? She was always suppose to wait here for Ryou. Why had she wandered off now?

Well, Akefia surely couldn't give Ryou his body back now. He'd probably be surprised enough to see the day was over without having to worry about his sister's disappearance on top of it. There was nothing for it, he'd have to find the girl himself.

She couldn't have gotten far though. The teacher always waited for all the children to leave before heading off herself. While Amane waited for her brother instead of heading out on her own like the other children, and because of that she was usually the last one to leave, her instructor would always wait for her. The adult would have only left if Amane was already gone, but had the idiot really let the little girl depart without her older sibling when it was obvious that was always how it went?

He was about to turn around and leave when he heard a little sniffle. The sound and was small and wracked with pain, immediately catching his attention. Whipping his head to the side, he moved towards where he thought he had heard it, searching for the source.

"Amane?" he asked softly. "Is that you?"

He reached the cubbyholes where the students put their things from home and saw Ryou's sister, curled up in a ball and sniffling. She peered up slowly at him, her eyes red and wet with tears. Though she was no longer crying, he could tell she had been only very recently.

"Onii-chan," she said in a timid voice that didn't suit her at all.

"Amane," he said, feeling both relieved and incredibly worried at the same time. Quickly he scooped her up into a hug, trying to comfort her as she latched onto him and began to cry fresh tears. "Shh. Shush. Amane, it's alright. I'm here. What happened?"

For a moment she didn't answer, only crying harder into his shirt and clinging to him. He let her take her time as she drew in sharp, ragged breaths and began to hiccup, just holding her and stroking her back gently to hopefully make her feel better.

"It was... two boys," she said eventually, finally calming down enough to talk. "They... they were picking on me... and... and they... the stole your present."

Akefia wondered what present she was talking about before she pulled back from him and shoved her trembling hands into her dress pockets. Taking them out, she showed him several pieces of a broken figure that looked a bit like the crying girl. He slowly picked up one of the pieces and inspected it, recognizing it. It looked a lot like the ones that Ryou always made, and he was quickly piecing this together.

"They broke the figure I made for you," he sighed softly, more confirming his suspicions than outright asking. She nodded her head and hiccuped again, whipping her fists over her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it to school," she whimpered pathetically. "I just wanted to play with it while I was waiting for you. Those bullies... they just grabbed it and... I tried to get it back... but... They... They just smashed it! Why? I didn't do anything to them! Why would they do that to Chibi-Mane?"

He would have found the name for the little toy cute if he wasn't so preoccupied with the crying child. Patting her head, he smiled at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry," he said. "I can fix her. She'll be good as new. But where's the teacher? He should be here with you."

"He took the boys to see the principle," she informed him. "He said he would be back soon. He wanted me to come with... but..."

"You don't have to explain," he said. He couldn't see her wanted to go off with those boys, and she would have been reluctant to leave the area she knew she was supposed to wait at. Still, couldn't have that fool had someone else bring the children to the principle. Neglectful idiot.

He looked down at the little girl, looking so sad and miserable. For some reason... he felt so angry. She wasn't supposed to look like this. She was supposed to be happy, have a smile on her face, bright as the sun and warming everything around her. She was not suppose to cry, not supposed to hide away while she cradled herself over a toy destroyed for no reason than simple malice.

He frowned, clenching his fists. If there was anything Akefia hated, it was those that would be cruel simply because they could. They thought they could get away with acting however they liked, mistreating a little girl who's only sin was to have a toy she cared about and loved? No. It was something he would not allow, not while he was around.

"Amane, stay here," he instructed, putting the doll into his pocket to keep safe. "Can you wait for me here? I'm going to take care of something."

"Huh? Where are you going, onii-chan?" she asked, confused.

"Just stay here," he said, patting her head. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it. Go ahead and read a book or play with one of the toys while I'm away."

Looking up at the clock, he smiled brightly at her and pointed at it.

"See that big hand?" he asked her.

"Uh huh."

"It's on the six right now. I'll be back by the time it's on the eight. Can you wait that long for me?"

She didn't seem too sure, but after a moment, she nodded.

"Okay," she said. "But no longer than that."

"No longer than that," he agreed with her before giving her a hug to keep her calm. "Be a good girl while I'm gone."

Akefia rushed out the room, not wanting to take too long. He really didn't want to leave her alone like this, but he couldn't let her see what he was about to do. No, it was just better for her if she hid away in that room for just a little bit longer. It wouldn't do her any good to see this.

He made it to the principle's office in record time. The door was ajar and he could hear two men talking about the incident that had happened just a short time ago. Peering inside, he chewed on his bottom lip. Wouldn't do any good to have any witnesses. Laying his hand on the Millennium Ring, he concentrated as he stared at the men.

"_**Sleep**_," he commanded, speaking the ancient language of his people. Slowly their eyes closed and they slumped forward, the principal over his desk and the teacher falling over. Carelessly he walked into the room, stepping over the body as he entered. He looked over to see two boys staring at him, both of them seeming shocked by what had just happened.

"Who are-"

"Shut up," he hissed, glaring at the boy who had dared to talk. The boy immediately shut his mouth. Akefia snorted as he looked them over. Tall and bulky for their age, they probably weren't used to being talked back to by a fellow child. They didn't look that intelligent either, the classic kind of person who tried to throw their own weight around.

"I'm not going to bother explaining myself to you," he said calmly. "You wouldn't understand anyway, and I don't think you're even worth it. But you hurt my host's sister, something you should know that you will pay for."

"Oh, so you're gonna fight us," the other boy sneered, balling up his fists. "You can't take us both on. You're nothing but a shrimp!"

"I didn't think I'd ever bother with fighting children," he muttered. "Even for me, that's low. But you were the one who begged for this course of action, so I'm going to show you just what happens when you mess with the family under my protection."

Grinning, he pointed his finger at the pair.

"Keep this in mind, you brought it upon yourself. PENALTY GAME!"

The two didn't even get a chance to scream before their eyes went glassy and they slumped backwards against the wall. From out of them slipped a light, pulsing gently in time, much like heart-beats. Zork always did have an interesting ability to play with people's souls, and Akefia felt no shame in using it to his advantage.

Digging into his pocket, he pulled out the pieces of the broken figure with one hand and swiped at the souls with his other, grabbing them and shoving them into the fragments.

"Don't worry," he said. "I don't plan to keep you prisoner for long. While you're trapped here, your body will simply be comatose. Your souls are naturally attached to your bodies, and they'd drift back on their own if I didn't put them somewhere for safekeeping. I'll left you go eventually... and you can play a little game. Let's see how long it will take you to find your lost bodies after I feel like releasing you. You won't even remember what happened to you, so it won't haunt you for too long. Well... the feelings of being lost and fear will remain, but it wouldn't be much of a punishment if you didn't recall at least that. Keep this in mind, mortal. This is the penalty for daring to hurt her. Do it again, and your souls will remain trapped in a place where you will never be allowed to see her again. Ever."

He felt the mental screams of the boys, but ignored them as he slipped them back into his pocket. Feeling happy with his accomplishment, he strolled back to the classroom and found Amane. She seemed better now, playing with some stuffed animals and smiles brightly when he waved at her.

"Can you really fix Chibi-Mane?" she asked as they left the building and moved out into the front of the school lot where several children were waiting for their parents to pick them up. Akefia's eyes scanned the crowd and found Amane and Ryou's mother in the crowd, waiting for them to bring them home.

"Of course I can," he replied with a smile. "But it might take some time. I think I should take extra care of her, just to make sure she's okay. I'll keep the pieces until she's fixed."

The girl nodded, not seeming to think anything wrong with the request and took his hand, smiling brightly up at him. He smiled back, pulling her protectively close as they approached her mother.

#-#

Ryou groaned as he sat up, rubbing at his eyes. Looking around, he was surprised to see himself sitting on his floor. Had he fallen out of bed when he was asleep?

He looked outside and was shocked to see the sun was already setting. Standing up, he didn't even notice the broken fragments on his little work desk as he rushed downstairs, wondering where the day had gone.

"Mother?" he called as he walked into the kitchen. She was already preparing dinner, chopping up vegetables, but she looked a little worried. "Mother... didn't you wake me up for school? Where did the day go?"

His mother turned and looked at him, seeming a little surprised.

"Ryou, honey. You went to school today," she said, setting down her knife and moving over to him. Kneeling down, she pressed her hand to his forehead. "Oh... I hope that gas-leak didn't affect you too."

"Gas-leak?" he asked, feeling horrible confused. What was she talking about?

"Honey, don't you remember?" she asked him. "The principle and a teacher passed out in the school office, so did two little boys. It was just on the news a little while ago. The adults are alright, but those poor dears... they haven't woken up yet. The officials said it was probably a gas-leak or something in the office where they were all found."

She peered at him, examining him closely.

"We're going to the hospital. I should have had you two checked out the second I heard about this!"

Ryou gave a startled gasp as he was scooped up by his mother. She was hugging him to her tightly as she began to collect her things, leaving him both bewildered and more than a little worried as she continued on about the health of her children coming first.

He wasn't even able to ask her anything as she stuffed him into his coat and hat, but when she moved to do the same for Amane, he couldn't help but notice the odd look his sister was giving him.

End of Chapter 6

First shadow game technically of the story. I'd like to think what it lacked in oomph was made up for in Akefia's reaction to Amane getting hassled. He doesn't want to admit it, but he's starting to like her more than he would willingly let on. I thought about writing out an actual game he could use against them, but the more I thought about it, the more that didn't seem his style. When the gym teacher harassed Ryou in the manga, Yami Bakura didn't bother playing a game with him. He just sucked out his soul and started treated him like a slave NPC in his game against Yami Yugi. He doesn't strike me as the type that would give his enemies a chance to defend themselves by creating some elaborate game on the spot. He just punishes them, takes what he wants, and he's done with it.

I also added a POV by Ryou at the end. There's going to be more in his viewpoint as the story progresses and I thought that this was a perfect time to start. Poor kid, memory lapses can be a pain, and he will have no idea why they're happening for a while.

In any case, please review to let me know what you think. They really keep me going on this.


	7. Punishment

I did not have an initial chapter in mind meant for the POV of Ryou. I knew that I wanted to do it sometime after Akefia has found him via and the Millennium Ring, but I was unsure as to when it was going to happen. While I have a basic outline of this story, there is no real chapter by chapter plan.

It seemed the spirit had been around long enough for Ryou to finally voice his thoughts on what is happening to him recently, without it being too soon. Akefia has been pretty careful, but even he isn't flawless, and he's been less than discreet at times. Especially with the attack on the two bullies in the last chapter, this seemed a good as a spot as any.

There has been no change in the ownership of this story, or the owner of YGO. Please don't sue. This is ONLY a tribute, nothing more. No monetary value is being collected out of this.

Chapter 7: Punishment

School was never something that Ryou Bakura had ever really enjoyed. It wasn't that he didn't like learning or anything. He liked to study well enough that it wasn't much of a chore, and he always made decent enough grades. He'd been taught at a young age to respect his elders, so he always did his best to be polite to his teachers, and from it, was always treated well by them. And he enjoyed recess a lot, able to go out and play. So all in all, he liked school.

He just hated having to go there.

Ryou didn't know what it was about him. Maybe it was his soft voice, or his inability to really talk to children his age, but Ryou had never been liked all that much. He did not have any friends, and while most of his classmates did not bully him, it was only too apparent how they would ignore him on purpose. It wasn't easy to try to talk to people, ask them how they were, do his best to be polite, and yet get nothing in return.

It had been that was for a long time. Ever since his first day of school, he'd never really had friends. His mum told him he was too shy and that he needed to be outgoing, but he couldn't ever seem to get the hang of it. It always felt like a few words he spoke but were never answered was enough to show that the other students weren't interested in making friends, and so Ryou had taken to just sticking to himself early on.

Those were the good days though. There were some days that were worse. Sometimes mean things were said to him, hissed out when a teacher couldn't hear, or shouted out on the playground. Ryou knew they didn't like him, but he didn't understand why some of the boys were such bullies. He had never done anything to them. Why did they dislike him to the point that he had to endure either horrible silence or awful taunts?

By the end of kindergarten, he'd learned the way to get them to stop was not to cry and run for a teacher. Though he didn't know what else to do, so he just had to put up with it as best he could.

By the end of his first year, he'd learned to block them out, to ignore the taunts and to keep his mouth shut when a teacher asked him if anything was bothering him, or why he was being so quiet.

By the time he'd reached his second year, he wished they would go back to the taunts.

It seemed the term sticks and stone was rather true. Once words no longer had any effect, it began to get physical. Pulling his hair, flipping over his books, tripping him as he walked. Nothing he could tell to a teacher. Nothing he could get them in trouble for. He knew. He'd tried.

They'd only gotten a talking to by the teacher, and when he'd been out on the playground, a rock had sailed through the sky from out of nowhere and hit him hard in the head. He'd fallen to the ground, tears spilling from his eyes as he pushed himself up from the dirt and checked his head, trying to see if he was bleeding. He'd only seen one of his classmates from his peripheral vision suddenly turn and run off into the crowd of other playing children, but he knew what had happened.

He didn't tell again.

By the time the first term of his second year was over, he'd learned to stay quiet. They did not torment him daily, and he would rather be left alone then bullied. He spent his days hoping they would not feel like bothering him today, and just enjoy himself as best he could when they didn't.

Still, there was no denying he felt happier at home than he could possibly feel at school.

It was why he had almost been happy about being able to stay home for a while. His mother had been so worried about his health because of the potential gas leak, she'd refused to let him leave her side for more than a few minutes at a time. His work had been collected from the school so he would not fall behind and he was given the next few days off on the recommendation of the doctor she had taken him too. Granted, it had meant staying in bed most of the time, leaving him bored with nothing to do, but the break from school had been more than worth it.

He should have known when he got back, it was only going to make things worse.

"Awww, look who's back," a cruel voice sneered behind him as he begun to unpack the things from his bag and put them into his desk. Ryou looked up, searching the front of the classroom. No teacher yet. No one to stop it.

Ryou ignored the voice, going back to putting his things away. He didn't want to start this. Maybe if he pretended like he hadn't heard the other, nothing would happen. It was a folly hope though as he was grabbed by the shoulder and spun around to see a boy a good six inches taller glaring at him.

Kichida Harou was the ringleader of the boys Ryou sometimes had to deal with, with increasing frequency it seemed. Tall and well built, he was good in sports and popular with everyone. He wasn't the type that was dumb either, one of the top of the class, always bringing in extra credit and answering the teacher's questions without prompting. Harou would have been the perfect student in every way, and Ryou might have even liked him, if not for the fact he seemed to hate the smaller boy for no reason and did his best to make him miserable.

"Hello, Kichida," he said softly, referring to him by his surname. He'd long since learned not to allow himself to try to be familiar with anyone here. First names were not a privilege that he was permitted to use. "It's nice to see you and your friends again."

The two boys behind Harou snickered, seeming to find his attempted politeness amusing. Even when he tried to stare at the floor, he couldn't help but glance at them. Ito Souta and Yoshida Genji were not as big as Harou, but they were every bit as intimidating and mean. Ryou would not have wanted to face even one of them alone, much less the three of them all together. Quickly he scanned the room, hoping someone, anyone would be willing to help him.

It was foolish though. No one paid attention, ignoring them with determination. No one would come to his aid.

They never did.

"Heard you got sick," Harou stated, his tone much snider than when he talked to anyone else. "Is little baby Ryou feeling better now."

"It was just because of the gas leak," Ryou stated softly. "My mum wanted me to-"

"Liar!" Ito snapped from behind Harou. "There was no gas leak! The adults never found one in the room. You just used it as an excuse to ditch!"

Ryou thought this was just plain dumb. Unlike Harou, Ito and Yoshida were far from top students, and he'd certainly seen Ito out of class often enough in the last couple years to know he took any excuse to stay home. Pretending to scold him for such a thing was stupid, and would have made much more sense it it had come from Harou. The boy was either just a blockhead or had been fed lines to justify this charade for the bullying.

"I'm not lying," he said softly. "I just needed to be checked out to make sure I was okay."

"Look, Ryou," Harou stated coldly. "I like you."

'Liar,' the boy thought, but kept silent.

"But school is very important. If I find out you skipped again, I'm afraid I'm going to have to punish you, got it?"

"Isn't that the teacher's job?" Ryou asked, allowing himself a small frown.

It had been the wrong thing to say however. What little courage the boy had had to talk back suddenly broke as he felt a sharp pain in his knee, Harou kicking him sharply before he'd even been able to react. He buckled forward with a cry in pain, and crashed to the floor, whimpering softly.

"See, why do you make me do these things?" the bully asked. "Wouldn't it be so much better if you dropped the attitude with me and did what I said?"  
>Ryou hiccuped softly as he felt tears sting his eyes, trying to hold them back. He couldn't cry. It would only be worse if he cried. Instead he buried his face into the carpet and nodded slowly. If he just agreed, maybe it would stop.<p>

"I'm sorry," he breathed, trying not to let his voice shudder. "I... I shouldn't have skipped. I... won't... I won't do it again..."

"Good. Now get up," Harou snapped, grabbing Ryou and shoving him towards his desk. "And don't bother to tell the teacher about this. You get asked, you fell, got it?"

Ryou sniffled and nodded.

"I said you got it?"

"Y-yes," he stammered. "I won't tell."

"Good."

He watched the three boys walk off before burying his face in his arms, shaking. It wasn't fair. Why was he treated so badly? Wasn't he a good person? He hadn't skipped, not really. He'd only stayed home because he'd been told too. It wasn't any reason to get picked on.

"Mean jerk," he whispered softly, his tone low enough he knew no one would hear. "I wish... I wish I could get back at you, just once."

The day continued on, and sure enough, when the teacher came in and noticed his red eyes and bruising shin, he was immediately asked what was wrong. Fearing further "punishment", Ryou told the lie he'd been given, saying that he'd tripped and fell. He may have been a victim, but he wasn't stupid. Getting himself in further trouble was not something he wanted, and the momentary satisfaction of explaining the truth would not be worth what would happen to him later.

He was glad when the day was over. He collected Amane and took her to the courtyard to find their mother so they could go home. She was watching him closely again, something odd she'd been doing these last couple days. Maybe she was worried about him? He did his best not to meet her gaze, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. After all, it wouldn't be right to make her worry about him. He was the older brother here. It was his job to protect her, not the other way around.

#-#

The next day was weird for Ryou. When he woke up, he for some reason felt out of place. He'd woken up in bed, dressed in his pajamas and secure in his room, but something just felt wrong. He didn't remember going to bed last night. In fact, the last thing he remembered was heading downstairs for dinner. But he couldn't recall the meal, or leaving from it, or even getting ready to go to sleep. Usually he had a few hours that he could play before he had to go to bed, but he'd just... well, he wasn't sure. It was all gone.

"Did I miss another day?" he asked himself. Why couldn't he remember anything? Was he just tired?  
>Sighing, he shook his head and got dressed. At least he could remember school this time. Of course, he would have rather forgotten that and remembered home considering what had happened. He made up his mind to not say anything to his mother this time. The last thing he needed was to lose more school time and risk getting Harou mad at him again.<p>

It had felt weird going to school when it felt like he had just a short while ago, but he did his best not to make a big deal out of it. He really didn't want to worry anyone, and so smiled brightly as he and Amane went on their way, chattering happily. Soon, he didn't even have to pretend anymore, deciding not to worry about it as they got closer to their destination. He was sure he'd just been tired that night and that's why he didn't remember. It was no big deal. He felt fine, so nothing could really be wrong with him.  
>Yes, he was just fine.<p>

Once he got to his classroom, he sat down and waited for class to start, eyes trained on the front board. He remembered he'd done his homework before dinner, so he decided just to relax a bit before the teacher got in. The others around him clambered into their own seats and after a short while, the teacher came in.

Ryou didn't consider himself very observant or anything. Sometimes he noticed things, sometimes he didn't. But he immediately saw the worried look on his teachers face as she walked in, stooped over more than usual and seeming sad. He didn't know why, but he felt a chill go down his spine. Was something wrong? Was she sick?

"Class," she said softly after she reached her desk and put her things down. She didn't bother with the good morning she often gave the class, instead sighing and readjusting her glasses. "I'm sorry to say this, but I'm sad to say Harou won't be joining us in class again for a while. I'm afraid he's in the hospital."

The room seemed to gasp together as one before questions started to get fired at the teacher. Ryou sunk down a little in his seat, wondering himself what had happened, but unable to find his voice to ask. Instead he just let the others talk around him.

"What happened?"

"Is he sick?"

"Will be be better soon?"

"Is he gonna die?"

The teacher just raised her hand, cutting off the chatter.

"From what I understand, it's nothing too bad," she explained. "Poor Harou just fell down the stairs of his home last night and broke his leg and wrist. He's going to be in the hospital for about a week before he can come back to school, but he should be right as rain soon enough . I thought it would be nice if we all spent the morning sending him letters and pictures to let him know how much we'll all miss him, and hopes that he gets better very soon."

For the longest time, Ryou just sat at his desk, staring down. Feeling numb, he pulled out a piece of paper, wondering what to even write. Of course he'd have to send in something nice, perhaps some insincere words of worry and hope that his classmate would be back soon. But... he just couldn't think of anything to write. Anything he would say would just be a lie.

And more than that, more than not really caring that the boy had been clumsy enough to hurt himself so badly, he was happy. He knew he should try not to feel so glad about it, but it was hard. Harou was by far the meanest out of the group hands down, and he deserved it. Really, he did. And on one hand Ryou was glad that it was nothing worse than a couple broken bones, he was even more glad he would not have to deal with his harassment for a long time. Even when Harou did come back, he'd be with a cast and on crutches. He'd have no way to hurt Ryou. For a while, he was going to be completely free.  
>Maybe it made him bad for being happy about it, but he didn't really care.<p>

All too soon he was writing a letter and grinning, even as he lied on paper that he was so sorry Harou was hurt and that he would miss him so much. He just couldn't fight his grin, not did he try.

By the time recess rolled around, Ryou was practically skipping and ran over to the sand box to build a castle, feeling nothing could ruin this day.

He really should have known better.

Not even within five minutes of digging in the sand, two shadows had loomed over him. Looking up in surprise, he wondered who it could be before gasping, seeing Yoshida and Ito. Neither of them looked happy, and he immediately began to feel worried, wondering what was going to happen.

"You little jerk," Yoshida snapped at him, hands balled up into fists. Ryou wondered if they were going to hit him.

"Wh... what?" he asked softly. "What did I do?"

"Don't even start with that?" Ito snarled. "We saw you today when you heard about Harou getting hurt! You were happy it happened!"

"N-no," he objected. "I wasn't. I was sad, really. I wrote him a letter and everything saying I hope he came back soon."

"Don't lie!" Yoshida said. "You were happy he got hurt. We saw you, the both of us! You didn't stop grinning for a second. You little freak!"

Ryou didn't think this was fair at all. So what if he was happy? It was only because Harou was so mean to him. He deserved to get hurt! He deserved it!

"At least I'm not a bully like you three are!" he suddenly yelled at them. "You three are just jerks! I'm just sad you both didn't get hurt too!"

"Why you little brat," Ito snarled before suddenly kicking the sand into his eyes. Ryou cired out, his eyes starting to water and unable to do anything to defend himself when he was knocked down and began to get hit over and over. Why was there never a teacher around to see this? Shouldn't someone notice? Why was he always alone.

'Please,' he prayed silently, even as he curled up, trying to ignore the pain as he started to cry. 'Please... God... help me. I didn't do anything wrong...'

How could he have been so dumb? He shouldn't have expected the bullying to stop just because Harou was gone. In fact, this was only worse. He opened his mouth to cry out for help, but only had sand knocked into his mouth, making him suddenly cough and begin to cry harder.

Then... all of a sudden, it just stopped. Blinking, Ryou sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering what had happened. He hadn't heard anything, no cries from an adult telling the two to stop or even one of the other students intervening. Had they just stopped on their own? It didn't seem likely.

Rubbing his eyes and trying to get the dirt out from them, he suddenly jumped as he heard a commotion. People were yelling and screaming, calling for help. Had they just now noticed he'd been getting beat up?

But when his vision finally cleared, he saw it wasn't him they were trying to help. In fact, they weren't anywhere near him. They were over in the sandbox, some ten feet away. He looked around himself, confused as he saw himself sitting in the grass.

"What?" he whispered softly before he looked back up at the crowd. Finally, he seemed to be able to take in the whole picture and his eyes widened in horror as he saw a large tree branch had fallen right where he'd been playing. The teachers were tying to lift it, while others were keeping the other kids at bay. Ryou felt himself shaking as he saw a couple of them move about, trying to get at a better angle to remove the wood, and saw both Ito and Yoshida underneath of it. Neither of them looked to be awake, though Ito was groaning softly. He could only stare as he watched the scene unfold in front of him, the screaming beginning to fade, the world beginning to spin, even as he felt someone grab him and pick him up. He was sure he was being asked if he was okay, but he could do nothing to answer, the shock too much to him.

He didn't feel quite so happy as he had knowing Harou had been hurt. Especially when the branch was pulled off and there was blood everywhere. Even as the staff not helping the boys tried to herd the other children away and back into their classrooms, Ryou was able to peek past them and see both of them just laying there unconscious, one of them with their leg bent out in a funny way, while the other had his arm torn so badly that the sight of white bone was visible along with red blood soaking past his clothing.

Ryou felt sick at the sight, and horrible that he'd ever been happy something like that had happened because of him. It really was his fault. If he hadn't been playing there in the first place under the tree, if he hadn't been so visibly happy at Harou getting into an accident, they never would have come over to yell at him, and he wouldn't have asked for it to stop... and no one would have gotten hurt.

The rest of the day was horrible to him, it really was. He remembered being drug to the nurse's office, but only vaguely. Someone must have called his mum though, because before too long, she was there too, fussing over him as the nurse assured her that he was just fine, despite the fact he'd been in the same spot as the two right before the branch had fallen. He didn't pay much attention to what was going on around him, too caught up in his own thoughts. He felt sick, and tired. His body was sore from his beating, and he didn't bother to correct the nurse when she said it was probably the tree that hurt him and knocked him back. What point was there to telling her he'd been getting beaten up? The other two had been rushed to the hospital.

Somehow... he just didn't think anyone but his mother really cared about what had happened to him.

Even when he was taken to the principal's office with his mum, he wasn't sure what to say. Even as he was assured he wasn't in any trouble. Why would be in trouble? He hadn't done anything. What was there to get in trouble for?

"I just want to know what happened," he'd been told.

The problem was, he didn't even know himself. How could he explain if he didn't know?

Be cause well... he didn't remember what had happened. Ryou did his best to explain himself anyway though, but he found himself lying on habit alone.

"I... I don't know," he said softly. "We were just playing. And then... I think the branch fell. And then I woke up. Maybe... one of them pushed me out of the way?"

He hated lying about their bullying, and he hated telling it so it made it sound like they'd helped him. But he couldn't help it. Even if this was his one chance to tell the truth, to blurt out to the principal how they'd been treating him, not only today, but for years, he couldn't bring himself to. They were hurt. It wouldn't be fair to smear their names, even if it was the truth. And they'd drilled in his head so hard not to tell, it had just become second nature to cover for them.

It made him feel like a coward, and angry as his mum started to cry and hug him.

"Those poor dears... they saved my Ryou. Oh... we'll have to visit your friends soon. Don't worry. I'm sure they're fine. Why don't we make them some treats when we get home to say thank you?" she asked him through her tears, sure she was no doubt comforting him.  
>He found his throat too tight to say anything, so he just nodded instead. He felt like his stomach was in knots. This couldn't have been more unfair.<p>

Even as he was sent home early, he wondered what had really happened. He wished more than anything he could remember. He felt so confused that he ignored everything, even his sister's attempts to talk to him.

Maybe he had hit his head and lost consciousness for a second and that's why he couldn't remember. He'd already been on the ground though, so he couldn't have been knocked back... at least, he didn't think so. Maybe he had been, like one of those miracles people talked about on the telly when someone survived a bad accident they shouldn't have.

Had that been it? He had just prayed to God to save him right before it had happened. Perhaps that's why he'd been okay. It could have been a miracle.

One way or the other, it was lucky thing that he had ended up away from the tree, because he was far away enough when the tree above them cracked, it was only the two that had gotten hurt and trapped.

Really, he'd been very happy he hadn't gotten hurt too, but the guilt that was weighing in his stomach told him he should have been.

#-#

By the time the third accident happened, Ryou was getting scared.

He'd just been playing at his home. It was a safe place. He never had anyone over, and no one knew where he lived. He'd never told anyone. He'd been in the yard, playing with the leave with his little sister. It was getting close to winter, and all the brightly colored leaves had begun to fall to the yard. They were both skipping along happily when a boy had passed by their yard, looking at them over the fence.

He didn't know what happened next. He had just looked over at the boy, recognizing him from school. Iwa Toshiro. Ryou'd had the boy in his class in his first year, but not in his second. He was one of Harou's friends, but one he'd been able to avoid mostly.

It had all... just gone black after that. Not even traces of memories. It was like he'd just fainted, and when he woke up...

It had been night time. He woken up at home, but not in his room. He'd been sitting against the front door, and when he'd moved, his head was sharp with pain. He'd reached up, touched his forehead and found a thick bandage there that had not been before. Having no idea what was going on, he'd quickly run up to his room to hide. If he could just get to bed, he'd told himself, he would be okay. He could go to sleep and wake up the next day and it would all have just been a bad dream.  
>When he got to his room though, it felt like he'd just slipped into another nightmare. He'd screamed when he got to his bedroom and saw through his window, flaring up in the night, red fire. The house just across the street from theirs was on fire and burning quickly. He just kept screaming, long, horrid shrieks, unable to do anything else, or even think. He remembered his door bursting open and his mother running in, startled crying from his sister, orders for the phone in order to call 911. Nothing distinctive though, aside from his own terrified screaming.<p>

The next morning Ryou was allowed not to go to school, along with Amane. He remembered dully the news on the telly as he sat and ate breakfast. It wasn't really required to watch. The reporter on the screen was just outside of their home across the street. Standing in front of what was little more than burnt rubble now, he told the tale how the fire had been started late into the night.

"The home behind me, now almost completely destroyed was unoccupied. No one lived on the premises, but the house was unfortunately not vacant. Young, eight year old Iwa Toshiro was found on the bottom floor, along with several empty gas cans. Police so far have not released a statement, but arson is not being ruled out. The victim suffered many burns covering over half of his body and recovery is not yet-"  
>Ryou was so grateful to his mother when she turned it off, refusing to watch anymore. He stared down at his full bowl of cereal, not even a bite eaten yet, and fought the urge to throw up.<p>

He pushed himself away from the table and ran up to his room, just wanting to be alone. Sitting on his bed, he tried to think over everything that had happened.

He didn't know why this was going on. At first he'd been happy, glad he was getting left alone now. After the second accident, the other students had begun to steer clear of Ryou, even more than before. He preferred being alone over being teased and made fun of, so he had tried to look at it as a mixed blessing, and try to convince himself it couldn't have been his fault. Now... now he wasn't so happy. Over only a couple weeks, people around him kept getting hurt, and he didn't know how. All he knew was that he hadn't liked any of them. Was he somehow causing it? Was this all of his fault somehow?

He stared out the window and watched the people moving around the still smoking him, feeling miserable when he heard the door open. He didn't look up as Amane poked her nose inside, but he could still tell it was her. Their mother always knocked first.

Without a word his sibling moved over to his bed and climbed up to sit next to him. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and even though he did not hug her back, he was still comforted by it anyway.

For a long time, neither of them spoke. They just sat there in the silence. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if there was anything to say.

"They were bullies," she eventually whispered softly. "All of them."

He nodded slowly, silently agreeing with her. Part of him wanted to ask what had happened yesterday, but he didn't dare. His head still throbbed, and he didn't know what had caused him to get hurt, but he had a faint idea it had been Toshiro's fault. Maybe that's why he didn't remember anything. Had the boy hit him in the head or something? Still, he didn't want to scare his sister into thinking something was wrong by admitting he didn't recall anything from the day before.

After all, there had been too many times someone had gotten hurt and he didn't remember anything. He wanted to make sure no one else saw the pattern.

"Even the two that picked on me."

Ryou's eyes widened and his gaze snapped down to his sister. He did not have to ask her what she meant. She'd already told him the story about the figure he had made for her had been broken. She had seemed shocked that she had to tell him, since he should have already known. He hadn't had the faintest idea what she'd been talking about, and she had not stopped giving him funny looks for the next week. It had been the same day as the apparent gas leak, the same boys who had broken her toy.

It was why his mother though he didn't remember the day. Even though a broken valve or anything else had never been found, it had just naturally been assumed that was the problem. The two boys had long since woken up and returned to school, although shaken, still okay.

Just like Harou, Ito, and Yoshida had. Shaken, scared, but okay and now in school again. He only hoped Toshiro would be okay too. He wouldn't be able to stomach it if he wasn't.

But all of a sudden, he felt shocked. How could he have never made the connection before? Those two had gotten into some kind of accident too, and he had no memories of that time at all. Ryou had never even thought of them, but the pattern was the same, all of it. Had his sister being bullied as well caused their accident?

"Do you think God is punishing them?" Amane asked. "Maybe it's our faults, onii-chan. Maybe we should tell mummy."

Ryou quickly shook his head.

"No. That isn't a good idea," he said, before hugging his sister tightly. "God wouldn't do something like this. They were all just accidents. All of them. And Torshiro was just causing trouble. He did it to himself. He probably started that fire for fun or something like that. We had nothing to do with it or what he did in that house."

He swallowed, hating how hollow the words sounded, and how much it seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than he was her. Even though she seemed to understand something was wrong, she didn't know as much as he did. She didn't know about all his memory lapses or how he'd wished just to be left alone. What if that wish had turned into something violent?

He was scared, scared this was his fault. Scared he was the one to blame for all of this. And he just couldn't risk telling his sister. He was sure she wouldn't be mad. She'd understand. Amane was a good girl, and they were the best of friends. She wouldn't turn away from him, no matter what he had accidentally done or unleashed.

But what if he told her? What if he told anyone? Would they get hurt next? Would something happen if he were to reveal the truth, that in some dark part of him, he had wanted them to all go away? What if this was a curse? What if it only affected people that caused Ryou trouble?

If that were the case, he couldn't risk anyone knowing. They'd try to do something, maybe try to help him, maybe try to punish him. But if it went too far, what if he wished that person to go away too, without meaning to? He shuddered, the thought terrifying to him.

"They were just accidents," he assured his sister again softly. "Just accidents. They have nothing to do with us. Nothing at all."

"You really think so?" she asked, seeming nervous, and Ryou forced himself to smile at her and nod.

It was strange, almost as if he was lying to her. But he had to say it. Amane was a sweet and nice girl. He couldn't bare the thought of her thinking that the blame for this laid with her. So he did his best to convince her and let her know it was all okay.  
>"By the way, I fixed Chibi-Mane," he informed her, smiling.<p>

He was just trying to get her to think of something else, to change the subject, but it seemed to work. She bounced off of the bed happily and ran over to the desk where his work projects were kept and tried to see if she could find it.  
>"Where is she? Where is she?" she demanded happily, wanting more than anything in the world to have her precious figure back.<br>Ryou crawled off of the bed and pulled open a drawer, grabbing the object in question. Holding it behind his hands, he smiled at her.

"Tell me which hand she's in," he teased slightly before smiling when she puffed out her cheeks in irritation. She took a moment to think it over before she pointed to his left arm.

"That one!" she said determinedly.

"You got it!" he exclaimed before quickly switching the figure from his right hand to his left and gave it to her. "Wow, Amane. You're really smart? How did you guess?"

"I just knew," she giggled before hugging the small figure to her chest. "She's perfect! Like nothing ever happened to her! Thank you!"

He smiled and patted her head. He didn't bother to tell her that technically nothing had actually happened to this one. That this was actually a new figure and brand new. She didn't need to know that, and she would have been crushed to have learned he'd had to throw the old one away because there just was no saving it. She never would have accepted a replacement if she had known.

But there was no reason to make her upset, and he'd spent forever making sure it looked exactly like the old one, so she would never have to know. And from the bright shine in her eyes, every single second of it had been worth it.

The horrible moment seemed to pass, and for a while, they just stayed in his room, playing. She always loved to pretend, and he was soon holding two more figures, a knight and a dragon, pretending to rescue "Princess Chibi-Mane" from the horrible dragon.

"Rawr, I'm gonna get you," he mock threatened as his sister giggled and shrieked.

"Honey."

The two looked up at their mum, standing at the doorway. Smiling softly at them, she moved and scooped Amane up.

"Time for your nap, sweetie," she informed the girl.

"Aww, but I'm not tired," the little one protested. "Can't I play more?"

"No, honey. This is your time for your nap at school. Let's not break the habit. Come on."

Ryou watched the two leave, sinking down on the floor again. As if he had suddenly lost the air in his room, he suddenly felt worried and lifeless again. The change was almost instantaneous and he lowered his arms, dropping his figures before he sighed softly.

Sitting there for a moment, he scooped up his play things and dropped them back on his desk. All of a sudden he just wanted his sister back to distract him. He hadn't even realized she had been making him feel better until she was gone and all of his thoughts, fears and doubts were suddenly smothering him all over again.

Sniffling, he rubbed at his eyes, determined not to cry, but it was so hard not to. He was alone and scared and he couldn't even tell anyone the truth why. It was too big for a boy his age and size, and all of a sudden it just felt like the whole world was about to hurt him and he could not do anything to fight back against it, too helpless to do anything to save anyone, especially not himself.

"What do I do?" he whimpered as he sat down on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. "What am I supposed to do? I'm sorry. I never wanted them hurt. I just wanted them to leave me alone. Honest. I don't want anyone hurt. Please..."

He hiccuped, tears streaming down his face as his lip quivered and he prayed to be safe. What was going on?

"Please... please, I'm sorry," he sobbed quietly. "I don't... I don't wanna hurt anyone. Please don't hurt anyone anymore. Please... please... please... please..."

He broke down into sobs, covering his face as he cried, terrified and guilty and just plain worried. He didn't even know why, but he wanted someone to answer him. It didn't even matter who. He just wanted to hear it, see it. Know that it was going to stop now. He wanted to know that it wasn't going to happen anymore.

Something inside of him told him he deserved an answer, that someone should have said something. He didn't even know why he felt that way. It just seemed like he deserved it. But silence echoed in his room and he just kept crying.

Tugging the Ring close to him, he hiccuped again. His hands had wandered on instinct to the pendant, and he just held on to it, the metal slowly heating up in his grip. His father had told him that it was special. He said he felt Ryou was destined to have it. Maybe that meant it would keep him safe. Maybe the pendant would keep away this bad thing that was doing these things. Maybe as long as he had this gift of his father's, nothing bad could touch him.

"I'll never lose you," he promised shakily, tears still streaming down his pudgy cheeks. "Never. Keep me safe, and I'll always have you. Promise."

Unaware of it, there was someone watching him, trying to answer him every time he asked to be left alone. Not knowing of the thief in his room, and in his soul, that was trying at this very moment to talk to him.

"I did it for you! You hated them! They were hurting you!" the spirit insisted, hoping if he screamed loudly enough, his host would hear him, and stop his damned crying. Why was he so upset? People who hurt others deserved to be punished and taught a lesson. He'd lived his life by that ideal.

This kid was just too young, too soft, too fragile to get it. People who were bad got punished. It was justice. People who were innocent and got hurt needed justice. It was the way the world was.

Not that this boy would be able to grasp that concept. He was too busy crying and feeling guilty over what he had no right to feel guilty about. It's not like it was his fault those bullies needed to be taught a lesson.

He stared at the boy, still crying and clutching the Ring before sighing. It wasn't his fault, he just didn't understand. He didn't know, and there was no way for the thief to be able to tell him.

"It's okay," he said softly, sitting down next to the boy. He tried to pat his back, but his hand just went through the small child. Groaning, he shook his head and frowned. Stupid not being able to touch anything. It pissed him off the most about being dead, really it did.

"Don't worry," he said to the boy. "They all deserved it. I'll protect you, just like you want. I'll show you bad people deserve bad things. As long as I'm around, you have nothing to fear. I'll prove it to you, even if you hate me for it."

End of Chapter 7

I honestly do not know how I feel about this chapter. When I decided to write this story, I intended dark things ahead. Actually writing them however, I'm always worried I'm going overboard. The fact I'm essentially writing about kids being hurt, well, that makes it harder.

But the thing is, I have to look back at the manga and the old stories. Dark Yugi was a horrible person, really. He set people on fire (twice that I remember) he electrocuted people, he drove them mentally insane, gave one guy a heart attack. He was brutal! Why wouldn't Ryou's spirit do similar things? But those people are all gotten rid of, and never seen again. For the exception of Ushio, which just confused me to no end because how is he only in his 30's?

I made Akefia cruel, but I wanted to skim over the details just this once because these were kids. The chapter from before doesn't count. They only had their souls stolen, and they recovered. It wasn't the same for these guys, and I didn't want to freak anyone out, because Akefia is being excessive here. He's hurting children who might be cruel, but didn't deserve that much.

However, despite the lack of detail in this one, there will be more Shadow Games in the future. Just wanted to reassure everyone I made this chapter relatively light on purpose despite its dark nature, because there are some things that just don't make it into the rating system.


	8. Pure and Perfect

Not much to say about this chapter, aside from the fact there's a bit more cheerfulness to this one. Hard not to be with the winter and Christmas season involved, as I love the holiday myself. So it's a bit of a perk up after the last chapter especially.  
>And of course, as always, YuGiOh is not mine. This idea and the fanfiction is though. I'm not making any money off of this however, so please don't sue.<p>

Chapter 8: Pure and Perfect

A long time ago, at an inn he no longer remembered the name of, Akefia remembered someone mentioning snow. It had been a story teller if he recalled, an older man dressed in flamboyant clothing meant to catch people's attention. Flashy, but pretty worthless, his brightly colored cloth was nothing but dyed cotton rather than silk or anything else. Akefia hadn't paid him attention once he'd discerned the man had nothing worth killing and looting the corpse for.

At least, not much attention anyway. The man had been a story teller, obviously trying to collect a few coins for his narrations. He'd been loud and boisterous, and while the thief hadn't been one of the ones sitting around him to hear his tales, he'd caught parts of it.

He remembered the story teller mentioning snow, something that very rarely graced Egypt, and even then, mostly only in the mountains. It wasn't something anyone would have called normal in their hot home. He went on and on about lands that were covered in the soft ice, where winters could last not a day or so, but whole months, if not the entire year. It apparently blanketed the ground, while in their home; it was little more than a passing, weak flurry that usually melted soon after touching the sand.

He wasn't sure if he'd believed the older man at the time, too busy with his dinner to pay him much attention. Things like the weather in other places didn't really matter to him, even if it had sounded a little majestic and magical. Aside from a passing interest, it hadn't gotten too much of his attention. After all, what could possibly be so great about frozen water falling out of the sky?

As he sat in Ryou's room, dark in the dead of the night, he thought now he understood.

He was perched at the window, watching the small white flakes fall to the ground, drifting continuously from the sky. It was true it had been getting colder and colder here, but never once had it occurred to him that there would be this strange thing he'd rarely heard of and never seen before falling down from the heavens. There was so much of it that if he relaxed his gaze, he was sure he would see nothing but a hue of white. But despite the large amount, it still seemed calming somehow, almost hypnotic.

He could see it covering up the ground, swallowing it up slowly but surely. It had been doing this for hours now, and there was hardly anything left but the snow. It clung to everything, the roads, trees, even the streetlamps had it sticking on as the light they produced seemed to dim as the white fluffiness covered up the hoods over the large bulbs. He guessed the actual light source was too warm and melted any of the snow that came close to it, because it was the only thing it touched that it didn't stay attached to.

It was still late, or more accurately, early in the morning. He'd considered leaving his perch to possess Ryou and sneak of to his father's office, but he decided this time he just wasn't going to bother with it. He'd been in there for months, and he'd found so little it didn't seem all that worth it. He could allow his host one night of rest.

Besides... he really did want to keep watching the strange stuff.

It was such a fascinating sight, more than he would have ever figured on it being. Something inside of him felt different when he saw it. It was so strange and foreign to him, but not at all in a bad way. In fact, he found it beautiful. It was honestly captivating to him, the simple way that it fell, blowing in the gentle breeze and how it literally was changing the landscape before his very eyes.

He sat there for hours, letting the night pass by quietly. He'd almost expected it to all melt away when the sun rose, but apparently Ra didn't feel like getting rid of the beautiful sight. For once, he thanked the god. Ironic considering all the times he had cursed him and all the others, for allowing what had happened to him. But this one time, he figured it couldn't hurt to be grateful. After all, it would have been a shame to lose something so pretty looking.

Its slopes and curves were flawless, and everything was now a pure white. It was like the entire world had been transformed, leaving this perfect thing in its wake. Akefia did not consider himself a man who could easily be swayed by such transparent things like beauty, but somehow this time was different. It was too serene not to be taken in by it, and even his heart was not cold enough to be able to ignore it. Maybe it was because it was different, or maybe the beautiful but simplistic look was just calming to him, but the sight actually made him happy as well as fascinated.

It wasn't a feeling he often experienced. It was a rather refreshing one too, he had to admit.

Behind him, he could hear the soft sounds of Ryou slowly stirring awake. He looked over his shoulder to see the boy sit up, rubbing at his eyes in his usually tired morning routine.

"Good morning," he said. Ever since his host's little... episode, he'd been trying to be more sociably with the boy. He talked to him often now; hoping someday he might get an indication Ryou could finally hear him. So far in the weeks that had passed, he'd gotten no indication, but he tried anyway. After all, he didn't see how it could hurt.

Well, maybe the boy would begin to panic and get even more scared of whatever was going on, possibly even telling others about the strange experiences in desperation for help. But even if that did happen, he was sure he could handle controlling the boy more if he had to. It wasn't like he was going to let a worried child get in the way of his plans. In the meantime though, he really didn't think there was any real risk to trying to communicate with him.

He was sort of angry Ryou hadn't appreciated what he had done for him. Sort of. He didn't understand the boy's terror of what had happened to the people who had insisted on hurting him. Who could feel sorry for their own tormentors? He was obviously a strange boy. Besides, it wasn't like it had left any lasting damage. None of them had ended up dead, even the stupid boy in the fire. He'd really been asking for it too, acting so cocky. He'd practically been begging for a lesson to be taught to him.

And it had worked out fine in the end. Though no outright rumors had seemed to have started, Ryou was often left alone now. He was no longer bullied or hassled, and many kids now went out of their way to avoid him. The boy hadn't had any friends before anyway, so it couldn't have made him lonely. He had to have been used to the solitude by now. To Akefia, it had been a success to have his host safe and sound from any physical or mental torture now.

"Are you going to get up, or stay in bed all day?" he asked. "Your mother is making breakfast by now, I'm sure. You need to eat more. I think you're too skinny for my needs, considering how little you're able to fight back against anyone."

As always though, he received no answer. Instead the child crawled out of his bed, yawning before stopping suddenly.

He was looking at Akefia, his eyes wide. The thief blinked and looked around him, wondering if some miracle had happened or if something had caught his attention. He didn't want to get his hopes up. After all, he'd been tricked once before when he'd thought Ryou had seen him, only to have the boy continue on dressing as if completely alone.

"Don't you dare be looking at something else," he suddenly snapped. "If you can see me, just say so. I'm not going to hurt you, you kn-"

"OH MY GOODNESS! IT SNOWED!" Ryou cried out happily, cutting the dead thief off completely.

"You little punk! Don't tease me like that! Here I thought you could-HEY! Get back here! Dammit! Stay still while someone is talking to you!"

Ryou had long since ran out of the room and down the stairs, skipping two or three at time in his enthusiasm as Akefia followed behind, screaming curses at him the boy couldn't hope to hear. It didn't matter much anyway. The man was so angry, he wasn't even bothering with Japanese anymore, instead switching to the language that he knew the most insults in, his own.

He didn't necessarily understand Ryou's excitement. After all, surely he had seen snow before. And even if it was nice looking, was it something to start screaming over? Akefia himself found it more calming than anything, and thought Ryou's reaction was completely out of place.

Following the boy downstairs anyway though, just to see what the big deal was, he found him in the kitchen, hanging onto his mother's skirt.

"Yes, yes, Ryou. School's been canceled," she told him patiently, but Akefia could hear a bit of a giggle behind her words. "You can go out and play with your sister in it, but you have to eat breakfast first. Okay?"

"Okay, mum!" he cried excitedly, practically jumping into his chair at the table and wolfing down his food.

Akefia sat in one of the free chairs, the one usually reserved for their father when he'd been here, and watched his host. He seemed almost too eager, though he supposed he could understand his glee at being away from school. Did school always canceled for such weather?

Amane wandered down only a short time later, seeming pretty excited herself, though not at as much as her older brother. She was already dressed for the day and nearly squealed when she heard they were getting the day off. Both children finished their meal as quickly as they could with enthusiasm Akefia wasn't used to seeing in such amounts from either of them.

It seemed merely moments after they finished that they were both getting ready for their day regardless. They began to get dressed, bundling up in their winter clothing, and the thief wondered just where they planned to go as they ran outside into the front yard.

From then, he just watched them act as ridiculous as humanly possible.

The two children ran about in the snow, picking up piles and throwing it in the air, laughing as it fell down on their heads. They giggled and laughed as they threw snow at each other, trying to make balls out of the powdery, frozen water, but over half of them falling apart when they tried to throw them. It didn't seem to matter to them though, both Ryou and Amane having the time of their lives.

He watched them make crazy tracks in the snow, kicking the serene scenery apart and making it into a mess. Akefia felt almost bored by it at first, but he had to admit, it did look almost fun.

He'd barely played with children his own age, and never had after his village's destruction. He'd had a grand destiny, a duty to fulfill and his family to avenge. Running around and goofing off had been a luxury he'd lost a long, long time ago.

"Ryou?" Amane asked when her brother stilled, looking around and seeming confused. "Is something wrong, onii-chan?"

Ryou shook his head, looking out into the snow. For a moment he'd felt... well, he wasn't sure. It was as if he'd just felt someone watching them, eyes on the back of his head. And he felt so strange just for a moment. It was like... this horrible wave of sadness had just filled him for only a few seconds before disappearing, and he had no idea why. But there was no one around, at least not that he saw. Probably just him imagining things again.

"No, nothing," he said before he flopped down into the snow. He smiled as the cold stung gently at his cheeks, leaving them feeling a little tingly and numb. The sun was shining on him, keeping him from being too cold as he moved his arms and legs, sweeping them through the snow to leave an imprint. Amane giggled when she saw the angel he was forming and laid back too, to make one of her own.

It was such a peaceful day, and the fact that school was canceled by the abundance of snow was certainly a bonus. He was sure the roads would be clear for getting to school again by tomorrow, but he was going to enjoy the time he had off for sure. November was almost over, some people already setting up for Christmas. He was looking forward to the holiday a greet deal, his father having called and promising a big surprise. He hoped it was the man coming home for a longer stay this time. He really missed him.

He suddenly yawned loudly, feeling his eyes droop a bit. Sitting up, he rubbed his mittens over his face, trying to wake himself up. He felt so tired now, the feeling coming on almost out of nowhere. Maybe breakfast had filled him up more than he had thought, and had made him sleepy. He really wasn't sure.

He was about to tell Amane he was going to head inside before his eyes just drifted closed, wobbling for a minute before falling back into the snow.  
>"Onii-chan, are you okay?" Amane asked before the eyes snapped back open, purple orbs staring up at the snowing sky. The boys shuddered for a moment, the cold feeling intense, but oddly refreshing.<p>

Akefia didn't understand why any child would feel excited about the possibility of laying in the snow, but he had to admit, it certainly felt interesting. He could feel the nip of the cold on what little of his skin was exposed, his nose almost numb. It was actually an exhilarating feeling, even as he did nothing but lay there on the small bank of white stuff.

He'd never felt cold this intense before. It was amazing what a stark contrast it was to the heat he'd experienced all of his life. Exposed to elements that he was not used to, it made the dead man feel almost alive. Idly taking one of his mittens off, he sat up and clawed his fingers into the snow, feeling the cold almost burn at his skin, an analogy that somehow made all the sense in the world, and yet none at all at the exact same time. He stared at the wet substance in the small hand, the snow making Ryou's skin look almost a healthy hue in comparison to his usual deathly pale. It felt a little like sand to him, a bit itchy, but not intolerably so. Though it was much more cold and wet, quickly melting in his warm grip.

Actually... if he thought about it, many experiences he was now able to enjoy in Ryou's body made him feel alive. There had been so many things he'd never been able to enjoy, or hadn't for a very long time. Every sensation, from this freezing weather, to even little things like breathing made Akefia feel less like a trapped spirit, and more like a real person again.

Even if the boy didn't know it, he owed so much to him. Through this albeit tiny and useless body, he was able to pretend to be revived, even for a short while. He could see things he'd never even dreamed about when he'd been alive, either as an adult or even as a child Ryou's age, back when he'd been much more carefree and imaginative. He could now have what had been stolen from him before he'd even been able to reach a ripe, old age. Even if it was time borrowed off of someone else, he could be what he hadn't been for a very long time.

Human.

"Amane," he asked suddenly, looking over at Ryou's little sister. She looked up from where she was still making her snow angel, turning her head to him curiously.

"What is it, onii-chan?" she asked.

"Want to play hide and seek?"

She smiled suddenly and nodded, jumping out of her imprint and dusting the snow that she'd taken with her off of her coat and boots.

"Sure!" she exclaimed. "You count to twenty, and I'll go hide! Okay?"

"Okay," he said, nodding.

He turned to a tree, covering his eyes and counting out loud. He made sure to call his numbers out loudly and in a slow pace, just like he had seen his young host do so many other times before when he played with her. Akefia didn't care he was doing something childish and silly, or that he was a bound spirit, trapped with a crazed demon unless he figured out some way to destroy him. A demon that had killed everyone he'd cared about and used him like a puppet. For one moment, for just today, it didn't matter. Akefia didn't care, wouldn't allow himself to care.

No, he was just going to spend his time enjoying what little bit of life was still allowed to him. He thought that after a few thousand years of desiring his revenge, doing everything in his power to pursue it and what he had gotten put through because of it, he deserved that much at least.

Finishing his count, he crept after the girl, following the sound of her giggling. She really was awful at this, but he didn't mind.

"Gee, I wonder where she could be," he wondered mockingly out loud. "She's so good at hiding, I might never find her."

He grinned as another giggle sounded. Heh. She thought she was so smart.

"Let's see, are you... here?!" he cried out, jumping past a bush he knew she was no where near. Pretending to be confused, he looked around a bit more, checking all the places he knew she could not possibly be, including underneath of a small rock, causing her to positively snort in laughter.

"Awww," he pouted, visibly frowning. "I can't find her. I guess she's just gone forever. I'll have to go tell mum she doesn't have a daughter anymore."

Turning around, he immediately heard a loud yell of, "Onii-chan!" before something tackled him from behind, causing them both to fall on the ground.

"Oh! Amane!" he exclaimed in a way even he thought was corny acting. "I thought you left! You were here the whole time?! That's amazing!"

"You big silly!" she cried, grabbing snow and dumping it on top of him. "Of course I was here the whole time! I would never leave my big brother! Don't be such a goof."

Laughing and hitting a bit of the snow in here direction, he smiled when she shrieked in surprise and blocked her face.

"Ah, I've got you now!" he said, making a fast snow ball and throwing it at her.

"Oh yeah! I'll get you back for that!"

In no time at all, another snowball fight had started, the two of them hurling them at each other. Akefia allowed her to get a lot more shots on him than would have normally been possible, feeling it would be more fun to let her think she had a good chance of winning and beating him into submission with the flurry of snow. He found himself laughing as he played with her, running around in the snow and acting just as silly as his host had been just a short while ago. He now understood why he'd been so excited about the weather. It was a lot of fun and even though it was cold, he didn't want to go inside for anything.

The fight finally ended in a draw, both of them falling to the ground, wet and exhausted. Akefia panted as he stared up at the sky. It'd stopped snowing, but he did not know when, too preoccupied during the game with Ryou's sister to have noticed. He was starting to shiver, the low temperature making him feel less and less exuberant, and more and more uncomfortable. Even though they could not have been out here for longer than an hour at the most, he decided that for now he'd had his fill.

"We should probably go inside," he stated to Amane, who was just laying next to him, curled up into a ball.

"Mmmm, don't want to," she muttered, but he could hear she was fighting back the chattering of her teeth. Sighing, he stood up and took her hand, pulling her up as well and patting her head.

"The snow won't go anywhere," he assured her. "This much, it's bound to stay around for a while. Come on, let's get inside before you get sick, okay?"

She pouted a bit, but did as she was instructed, heading to the front door with him following. The warmth of the house washed over him as he went inside, feeling almost like he was sinking into a bath of hot water as he pulled his coats, boots, scarf and gloves off. He brushed aside the snow in his hair, creating a small puddle at the entrance from where all of it fell and melted.

Walking up to Ryou's room, he collapsed on the bed, relaxing a little before he let himself slip out of his host. The boy was still sound asleep, rolling over into his pillow almost immediately afterward.

"You're really lucky, you know that?" he asked the sleeping boy. "You've got a home that would have been a mansion in my time, a full and loving family, a chance to educate and better yourself... More than I ever had, or ever will. You better appreciate it."

He might have felt jealous of the boy, if he had been capable of it. Maybe when he had first met him, if he had known and seen all of this it would have been much easier. But now, well... he couldn't bring himself to. His stay in this house, with Ryou, had been more than he had ever thought it would be. He'd seen things, learned things he'd never imagined. His host had been little more than a tool at the best of times, and an inconvenience at the worst.

But when he'd seen him at school, hassled and bullied, it had made him angry. Part of it had been because he loathed those who would throw their weight around as if they had the right to be cruel to anyone they liked, as if it was just their right. But it had only been a small part. Mostly it had been anger that anyone would dare to touch his host. The boy was his, all of him. He could claim the body whenever he wanted, and push the boy to sleep whenever he liked. He was literally connected to the boy's soul, was now with him every moment of the day. It could be like that for years, if not for Ryou's entire life. As far as he was concerned, no one was allowed to touch the young boy without his approval or they were risking the consequences.

He wasn't a fool. He knew he could potentially be risking a lot if his meddling ever became too obvious. If Ryou ever got scared enough to tell anyone, or worst yet, to get rid of the Ring, Akefia would have no idea what to do. Even he couldn't control the child all the time. He just wasn't strong enough to suppress him every waking moment of the day. The longer his hold on the boy lasted, the more insistently Ryou could push. While he'd never been able to break out and steal control of his own body back, the spirit did not want to see what would happen if he ever pulled it off. It wouldn't be a pretty sight to witness.

Yet, he couldn't bring himself to stop. He didn't even want to. He wanted to protect Ryou, maybe because he wanted his possessions in good condition, maybe because he just had principles on the matter of others hurting those that never deserved it, or maybe because he'd never had anyone to protect him when he'd been this age, and it had left too many scars on him, both physically and mentally.

Ryou reminded him of the snow, the perfect whiteness that seemed so calming and beautiful. He was an innocent, in every sense of the word, and while Akefia had spent so many years never really caring for another person that was not already long dead, he found he wanted to protect that innocence. Perhaps this was in a way, Akefia's second chance. He could give the boy the good life he'd never had, and through him, experience it as well. Maybe in his own way, he could cover up Akefia's past horrors, at least temporarily, like the snow hiding away everything that it covered, leaving behind only a perfect and pure white. It wouldn't make his past go away, but he could afford to stop thinking about it... for a while at least.

Occasionally.

End of Chapter 8

I have nothing to say about this chapter except that I loved writing it, and by the gods, are these kids cute. I think I'm getting the hang of writing them both. Too bad after a couple more chapters I'm going to have to age them up a bit to keep the plot moving forward. Oh well, I'll enjoy it while I can.  
>Also, big thanks to xXSangNoireXx for beta reading, and to Thooruchan as well for doing the same now. With two people, I've got twice as much chance to keep my work error free. You two both rock. I'm just so happy you both insist on being able to help. Used to be I could never keep even one beta reader, no matter how much I begged and offered in exchange. Now I've got two demanding to help me out. I don't know if it's me or the awesomeness of this fic, but I'll take it one way or the other.<p> 


	9. New Home with You

Its been too long since the last installment, so I figured it was time to get you guys a new chapter. I want to thank you for being so patient with me. Between work and medical issues (nothing too serious, thankfully), this has been getting neglected a bit. Luckily one of my beta readers was able to talk out some things about the story with me and inspired me into getting this written out.

You should all be happy to know what you've ALL been waiting for is finally happening. Ryou and Akefia will FINALLY be interacting. Perhaps nine chapters was too long to wait, but at least it's finally happening now.

On the issue of ownership, Yu-Gi-Oh is not my creation in any way. I own the idea of this particular story, but that is really it.

Chapter 9: New Home with You

"I thought you would have been happy."

"How can I be happy about this? You're gone months at a time, you leave me alone with the children, and now you just suddenly want to force us to move?!"

"For goodness sakes, Katherine. Don't make it sound like I'm someone who doesn't care! I do this for you and the kids. Look around you! The fire, the accidents, the incidents at school. This isn't a good environment for our kids and you know it!"

Ryou closed the door to his room, not wishing to hear the heated argument between his parents. It was odd to hear them arguing. They very rarely didn't get on well, and it almost seemed like it wasn't really them down there, like he was dreaming or that those people weren't actually his parents. Leaning against the door, he sighed softly.

Leaving. The concept had hit so suddenly, his father coming back for Christmas, announcing not even an hour after he'd gotten back home he'd purchased a home in Swindon, England, Ryou's mother's home town. He'd lived there only once, being born there, but he knew next to nothing about it. He'd left there young, his family moving to Japan shortly after Amane had been born. He had no memories of the place, but he supposed that was better than his memories of here, especially the more recent ones.

Or, considering his black outs, the lack of them.

Still, he had to admit, while the news had seemingly come out of nowhere, he wouldn't miss this place. He didn't understand why his mother was so against it.

Being uprooted? Did she like Japan better? Did she not want to leave the house?

The boy didn't know, and he didn't think he could understand if he asked. This seemed to just be one of the cases were adults didn't make much sense.

Sighing softly, he moved to his bed and settled down on it. He wondered if he should start packing. Even with his father and mother arguing, he already knew they would not stay here. Though he was gone most of the time, when he was around, he had the run of the household. What he said were just the rules. It was just how it went. Of course, usually his parents agreed on everything anyway, so this was a new circumstance, but he just didn't think the situation would go any differently, even if his mother did not seem to agree with if for some reason.

The family dynamic would no doubt appear a little strange to others, and he knew that. His father was gone for such long stretches of time, and so often. He was usually gone most of the year, only coming back for short visits. There were times he visited for holidays, or that half a year could go by without anything more than the occasional letter, or rare phone call. He made so much though, more than enough for them to live comfortably on. His mother had told him often that even if his father wasn't always around, he loved them more than anything, and always knew best.

He had the feeling she didn't think so this time. But if father always made the decisions, then they would go, and it just seemed as simple as that.

"Personally, I can't wait to get out of this crummy place," he muttered, falling back in his bed and blowing a strand of hair out of his face. "And best to do it before the school blows up or something stupid like that."

A sudden bark of laughter made him sit back up quickly, looking wildly around. He saw no one though, not a soul. As his gaze drifted to the window, he was both horrified and fascinated to see it closed. There was not a chance the sound could have come from outside.

This sort of thing had been happening more and more often lately. Odd occurrences, sounds that couldn't be explained, weird feelings, and the impression someone was watching him. Nothing he could explain to others; nothing he could even really understand himself. Small things he could just insist to himself that he was imagining, but deep down he was beginning to believe more and more in one simple truth.

Ryou wasn't alone.

There was someone else, something else, here. He didn't know what or why, but he wanted to find out. His life had been getting weirder and weirder lately, and he yearned to know why and how. Of course, it had never come in this clearly before. He was sure he had just heard someone laugh. It had been clear as day, and there was just no way he could have imagined it.

Swallowing his nerves, he just couldn't ignore it anymore. He wasn't going to pretend someone else wasn't here. Ignoring the situation didn't seem to be doing any good, and honestly, he wanted to know why all of this was happening. Things kept happening to people that seemed to hurt or be cruel to him, and everyone was starting to notice, even if they hadn't made the connection, he had. Someone... or something, was doing this for him, and he had to find out why.

"Who's there?" he asked softly before clearing his throat. He couldn't show fear. He had to be assertive, strong, show whoever else was with him that he wasn't about to put up with people around him getting hurt. "I said, who's there? Look, I heard you. I know you're here. Don't ignore me."

Silence filled the room and the boy chewed on his bottom lip. The thing didn't seem to want him to answer, though he wasn't about to just give up. There had to be some way to get it to talk to him.

Unknown to him, the thief could only stare at him. He'd heard him? He'd heard him! He could barely believe it. Months had gone by, no sign of the boy being at all aware of him, and he had all but given up of ever being able to explain to the young one who he was.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, raising his voice. He didn't know if it would help, but it certainly couldn't hurt. "Anything? Anything at all?"

He cursed loudly when his host gave no reaction at all. Typical really. He wasn't sure why their connection had seemed to have gotten stronger for that split second, but it was already gone. It seemed the more he learned about their bond, the less he knew how to actually do. It was odd. At first, he couldn't really care about his host knowing about his presence. In fact, it would have been easier if he didn't suspect anything at all.

Yet that moment Ryou had clung to the Ring and begged to be protected, Akefia had known somehow he needed to tell him. It was an urge that would not go away, and it got stronger everyday.

"Come on," he hissed. "There has to be something to get you to hear me. It's not like I'm not trying here, you little brat."

He snarled softly. Even if he cared more for the boy than when he'd first met him, he could still be annoying at times. How dare he give Akefia hope that he could have possibly communicated with the youngster and then just blissfully start ignoring him again? It was like the child was intentionally teasing him, just seeing how far he could push him until he snapped.

The thief was so busy fuming about the irritations of their seemingly faulty connection, he didn't even notice Ryou slipping off the bed until he the door was opening and closing again. Curiosity killed his anger, and he followed the boy down the hall, wondering what he was doing. The boy's expression looked determined, like he had an idea, and the thief found himself wondering just what he might have up his sleeve. Did he have an idea on how to allow them to talk? He didn't see how he could, as the boy probably didn't even know just what was haunting him.

Still, it wasn't as if he didn't have a choice but to follow him around, with little else to do. Besides, he was pretty curious.

The boy stopped at a set of stairs, peering up into the dark corridor before determinedly making his way up them. There wasn't much up there aside from the attic. The spirit had never bothered much with it after realizing none of Dr. Bakura's work was kept there. It was little more than boxes of things the family either didn't want, or were just storing temporarily.

Opening the door to the room, Ryou wandered in. Almost immediately he started rummaging through the things, opening boxes and pulling things out. He was obviously looking for something, tossing things aside that he seemed to determine wasn't going to be any use of him. Akefia watched him make a bigger and bigger mess with every passing second, his arms crossed and feeling mild curiosity. His mother would surely get mad about this mess later on, something the boy probably wasn't thinking of judging from how he wasn't bothering to put anything away, no matter how many boxes he would empty.

It wasn't for almost an hour before Ryou appeared to be triumphant, crying out loudly as he yanked a box out from a cracked bookcase. It was hard to tell if which was covered in more dust, him or the long cardboard box in his hands. He didn't seem to be bothered by the fact he had gotten himself filthy, grinning as he set the box down and quickly flipped it open as he knelt down on the floor.

Peering over his shoulder, the thief had to wonder just what had gotten him so damn excited. It wasn't like the boy had never gotten enthusiastic before, but it wasn't usually to this extent. He was more used to the calm, polite boy that didn't speak much and was always so quiet and still, almost unnaturally so. Yet he couldn't be more lively right now, acting like he'd just gotten a present for his birthday.

Surely whatever he had uncovered had to be pretty interesting.

When he looked at it however, it didn't seem like anything spectacular. The thief had been expecting some magical item or perhaps an artifact of some kind. Instead it was just a plain piece of wood, smooth and stained a dark brown. There were letters on it, painted on in a deep black but chipping, and not all that impressive looking. It took him a moment to realize it was the English alphabet on the board, along with a couple words, "Yes" and "No". He was sure there were a couple flecks of paint in the corners that looked like stars, but he couldn't be sure, it much too faded and worn away to really say one way or the other.

"Okay, ghost," Ryou suddenly spoke up, surprising him a little bit. The boy grinned and took a piece of wood with a piece of glass in the middle and set it down on the wooden board. "If you're here, I really want to talk to you. You are a ghost, aren't you? You're not some kind of poltergeist, are you?"

Akefia looked from the board and back to the child a few times. Oh...

He was pretty sure he understood. He was suppose to communicate with him through this? But how exactly? It did seem magical or anything.

"What's wrong? Don't you know how?"

He wasn't sure if the boy had picked up on his confusion, or if it was a lucky guess, but it didn't seem to matter. All of a sudden Ryou leaned forward and placed his hand on the smaller piece of wood, sliding it around a little, as if to show how it worked.

"It's an Ouija board!" he explained excitedly. "See, you just take this piece called the planchette and move it around. I'll ask you questions, and you say yes or no, or you spell out your answers if it's not a yes or no question. I heard from my grandma this stuff works really good. We can talk with it, see? So... are you here?"

The boy sat there expectantly, and the thief looked down at the little piece. What had he called it? The planchette? Well, it couldn't hurt to try. Maybe this was a mystical item, even if it didn't look like much. However, when he reached forward to touch it, his fingers passed right through the piece.

"Dammit," he muttered. "I should have known this wouldn't work. Stupid thing, just a lousy piece of junk."

The boy waited a few minutes, chewing on his bottom lip. It was pretty obvious he too had been hoping for a little bit more.

"What's the matter, don't you know how to do it?" he asked. "Come on, you just move it around."

Akefia was getting ready to try to smack him. Of course he couldn't move it. He was incorporable for goodness sake! This wasn't going to work. He couldn't touch anything! It's not like he could move anything material of this world...

"Wait a second.," he muttered before looking at the boy, sitting in front of the Ouija board and practically pouting. He wasn't looking just at him though, but the Ring hanging off of a cord on his neck. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of this before? Ryou wanted proof that Akefia existed, and he could have given it to him from the very beginning!

His hand reached out and grabbed the Millennium Ring, the only object he'd ever been able to move and influence on his own. With a fast yank, he tugged it off Ryou's neck. He saw the boy's eyes go impossibly wide, opening his mouth to cry out. Trying to act quickly, Akefia slammed the Ring down onto the board, hitting the planchette out of the way with it.

Looking quickly for the answer he was looking for, he slide the Ring quickly to rest just above the word he was looking for.

'Yes.'

Ryou shivered as he looked down at the board, his pendant seeming to move on its own. Swallowing, he tried to remain calm. He hadn't been expecting that, but it definitely showed him without a doubt there was someone else with him.

"Yes?" he asked softly. "Ah... as in, yes you're here?"

The pendant didn't move except to slide a little closer to the three lettered word. Well, it was a clear as an answer as he was going to get.

"Why didn't you just use the planchette?" he asked. "Wouldn't that work?"

'No.'

"Oh... wow," Ryou mused. All of a sudden it seemed to hit him. He was talking to a ghost. Someone from the other wise was communicating with him! It was as cool as it was scary. A small part of him wanted to get up and run away from the attic and never look back at that place, his pendant, or the board every again.

He was much too curious to be able to however.

No, not curious, fascinated. He was talking to something on the other side, something some people didn't believe in. And it seemed to want to talk back to him!

He couldn't help but puff up a bit in pride. It sort of made him feel important, like he was really special.

"So, can you only move my pendant?"

'Yes.'

Ryou nearly clapped in glee. He was really getting the hang of this.

"Okay, okay. Hmmm, I need to think of something really important to ask you," he mused to himself before pausing. Maybe he was getting too carried away with this. He had to remember just why he'd wanted to talk to it. Feeling a little more comber now, he coughed into his fist to clear his throat.

"So... are you the one who... well, hurt those people?" he asked softly.

For a couple minutes, there was no response, before slowly the gold piece slid over to yes.

"Why?"

'They hurt you.'

This answer took much longer to give to him, each word taking about a full minute to get spelled. He couldn't help but wonder why it was taking so long for these responses, but he was happy he was getting them at all.

He thought about the words, wondering just what they meant. Well yes, they had hurt him. Those boys had been hurting him and making him feel bad for years. Still, he couldn't say he approved of what the ghost was doing. It was just... too cruel. His mother had always told him two wrong didn't make a right, and even though most of the bullying had stopped, it seemed wrong that they had been put through such traumas for his sake. Even though he knew they'd started it, he still felt guilty.

"Please stop then," he said softly. "I don't know why it was important to you to step in, and I do thank you for trying to protect me, but I don't want to see anyone else get hurt over me."

Akefia sighed and shook his head. Was the boy really so naive? They had gotten what they deserved, and no less. Punishment was the only way to deal with people like that, and the boy wanted him to spare them? Ryou was too young and foolish to even know what he was asking, but from the expression on his young face, he really didn't want anyone else hurt.

Well, he had accomplished what he wanted, protecting his host. No one really bothered him now. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to relieve his fears.  
>He slid the Ring over to the yes answer again, hoping it would be enough to reassure him. It's not like he wanted the boy to be afraid of him after all. He'd be much more content with Ryou accepting him and letting him do as he needed to in order to accomplish his goals. Showing him he wasn't some crazed monster would be the easiest way to ensure that, so he figured he had to try to play nice, even when he didn't want to.<p>

Besides, he could still keep his host safe. He'd just have to try to be a little more subtle about it.

"Thank you," Ryou said, nodding his head a bit in appreciation. "I was really worried. I thought you were some scary poltergeist or something, but you don't seem that bad. Still, I wish I knew more about you. Who are you?"

The thief paused. He really should have been expecting this. It wasn't exactly a simple answer he could give. Everything about him, from who he was to why he was here was much too complicated. Even if he could talk to him normally, he didn't think he could ever properly explain himself. Doing it over some little board would be impossible. Ryou wanted an answer though, even though he couldn't possibly give one.

'No.'

"No?" the boy asked, looking confused. "No what?"

He seemed to ponder for a second before his eyes lit up.

"Do you not remember who you are?" he asked.

If only. No, he remembered. He remember only too well. It would be impossible to forget, the pain and horrors he'd seen in his village as it was destroyed. But how was he to describe that to a boy that cried over even the thought of one of his enemies getting what was coming to them? He'd probably have nightmares of the thief told him the truth.

It was probably for the best to spare him those things. Besides, he had nothing to do with them. He certainly didn't need his help for anything, aside from acting as his host. It would be kinder to spare him those things, and Akefia didn't really want to talk about them anyway. Like digging a knife into a long since set scar, it would do nothing but just bring back unnecessary pain.

The boy didn't need to know anything about him, just to understand that he was there and he had no plans to hurt Ryou or his family. That was all that mattered. Just enough to make sure he didn't panic and try to get rid of the spirit. Everything else would just be too much information, and wasn't needed.

"Do you remember your name?" Ryou tried again, clearly hoping for some kind of response. "You have to know that at least."

'No.'

He really didn't think he should give the boy anything. In fact, he was already regretting sitting down and trying to talk to him, even though for so long that's what he wanted. Akefia was a loner by nature, having learned a long time ago that it was easier and for the best to do things on your own. No one could be trusted or relied on, and while this boy with huge innocent eyes and couldn't hurt a bug wasn't exactly a threat to him, old habits were hard to break.

The boy wouldn't, couldn't understand him. Trying would be a waste of time. And while he had all the time in the world to him now, he still didn't believe in pointless ventures.

"Well, I have to call you something," Ryou insisted. "I can't just call you ghost all the time."

Akefia didn't see why not. It was just as good as anything else. What did it even matter anyway? He found it odd that the boy would even want to keep talking to him. Wasn't he afraid of him just a little while ago? What was with the sudden curiosity and the need to know all of this stuff. It seemed so stupid to him, and contradicting. This kid made no sense at times, and the thief wasn't sure he even really wanted to understand it.

'I don't care,' he spelled out on the Ouija board, trying to make the kid just drop it. 'Call me whatever you want.'

After all, when you were dead and no one remembered you or what you were trying to accomplish, did names honestly matter anymore?

"Well, I have to call you something," Ryou insisted yet again. "And I can't just call you ghost. I mean, that's just rude. It's be a whole lot better if I had something, and I can't just make it up."

This kid was talking to a dead man and was worried about something petty like being rude? What in the world was wrong with him?!

Groaning, he buried his hands on his hair. This was just getting ridiculous. He could see this kid pestering him all the time, babbling and asking questions whenever they were alone and insisting on getting anything he could out of the spirit. And while Ryou couldn't hear Akefia, the thief did not have the same luxury.

'Fine,' he spelled out, trying to remember how to say these things out in English, while the need to go on a tirade in his own native language and cursing everything under Ra was getting more and more prominent in his mind. 'I remember what I was.'

"What was that?" Ryou asked, and damn him for not looking as eager as if he were being presented with the greatest treasures in the world.

Weird kid.

'I was a thief.'

He figured it was honest enough that he didn't have to come up with some flowery past for the child's benefit that he'd have to remember later on, and it would settle his curiosity. Maybe he'd even get lucky and the information would scare Ryou and he wouldn't want to know any more. He was starting to think it was better when the youngster didn't want to acknowledge his presence out of some form of fear after all.

"A thief?" the boy asked softly. "Does that mean you stole things?"

'Yes.'

"Why?"

Akefia paused before sighing.

'Just from bad people.'

It wasn't entirely true. He stole from just about everybody, but he wasn't about to admit it. The kid didn't understand what it was like to starve on the street, knowing you either had to grab something while no one was looking in order to eat or risk dying. Ryou's like was just much too cushy for that kind of concept to make any sense to him.

"So you were like Robin Hood?" he asked, and while Akefia didn't know who that was, from the light of admiration in his eyes, he guessed being like this Robin Hood guy was a good thing.

So he moved the Ring over to yes, just because he could.

"Wow. That's pretty interesting. I never would have thought someone like that would be haunting this place? So, why are you here? Did you used to live here? Oh, was my room yours or something? I bet that's why you're-"

Akefia suddenly picked the Ring up and hung it back over Ryou's neck. He had enough talking for the day, and he wasn't honestly interested in hearing all the crazy theories the boy would come up with if he let him ramble on. Giving him the Item back was his signal that he was done for now, and from the disappointed look on his face, he seemed to understand.

"Come on," the spirit muttered, even as the boy couldn't possibly hear him. "Let's get going. You had better clean up before your mother catches you up here."  
>Ryou just sat there for a couple moments, staring down at the board. Finally, he carefully packed it away, leaving the planchette where it was and tucking the box under his arms.<p>

"Well... welcome to my home anyway, Mr. Thief," Ryou said before bowing a little bit. Akefia couldn't help but find it kind of cute that Ryou was bowing to the wall, and the thief was to his side. Still, he took it for what it was worth. "I hope we can talk again real soon, and thank you for listening to me about my concerns."

The thief didn't even try to stop the wistful smile as he followed the boy back downstairs, his last words hitting a cord in him. He couldn't honestly remember a time when anyone had been so kind to him. And even if this boy was kind to everyone, it was still a nice feeling that he could appreciate. A nice change from people wanting him dead, or ignoring him completely.

Maybe Ryou wasn't so bad after all.

Still weird though.

End of Chapter 9

I have nothing to say but the fact I want to hug both this characters so badly right now. And I hope you guys do too, because these guys are too cute right now not to love.

Thanks so much as well to my wonderful beta readers, who will no doubt go through this and have found ten tons of mistakes, despite my best intentions and effort.

And thanks to everyone who reads this, and hopefully review to let me know what you think of it.


	10. Old yet New

Tenth chapter of Chains of Shadow. I can't say much about it except that it was a trip writing it. I don't want to give too much away in this note, so I'll just say I had a lot of fun with certain characters and let you see what I mean as you read it. I really enjoyed the work I did this time, and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much.

Once again, must say that I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It's the creation of Kazuki Takahashi, and doesn't belong to me in any way. This is just a tribute to a show and manga that has brought me so many fond memories over the years.

Chapter 10: Old yet New

If Akefia had not been used to the sights of Japan, he had to admit, it wasn't so much of a problem in this new country. England, if he remembered correctly. Ryou had told him the name of where they would be living now, some place called Swindon. The name was a little odd, but to be perfectly honest, the dead thief kind of liked it.

The place was gray and quiet, and a lot of the building seemed old and rustic. Not nearly in the way his old land was, but in comparison to the new look of everything in Japan, almost plastic seeming, it was much more comfortable to him. The town wasn't as big as where they had been living, and while there were several new buildings, most of it seemed old and classic without being dead.

The tomb raider immediately liked it. He had a feeling if he'd been born thousands of years later, he wouldn't have minded spending his life here.

He watched the scenery pass from the car the family was piled in. Ryou was in the back seat with Amane, chattering happily about the town that had once been little more than a railroad village some time ago, were workers mostly lived and worked on trains, everything from engines to rail cars. Amane wasn't paying all that much attention, nose pressed to the window and just looking at everything they passed with wide, eager eyes.

Akefia didn't think the little history lesson was for her though. Ryou wasn't the type to talk much, and didn't waste his breath when his audience wasn't captive. The words, he assumed, were for him, though he could say nothing in response.

It was something Ryou had started to do. He would talk to the thief a lot now, referring to him by that name when they were alone, or speaking as if he were talking to someone else, but the words always directed at the spirit. Usually it was silly nonsense, the things a child would think were important to talk about. Occasionally though, like now, he would speak of something Akefia was actually interested in hearing. Learning what there was to know about this place from first hand instead of having to slowly figure it out on his own like he had been forced to in the old home.

If he had expected the kid to be scared of him, he was sorely mistaken. Ryou seemed to be so happy to have a dead man haunting him, though Akefia couldn't understand why. They could barely talk to one another, only when Ryou pulled out the Ouija board, and that hadn't happened too often because of the preparations for the move. Still, the boy talked very often to the ghost, chattering happily about anything and everything on his mind. It was sort of endearing, but at the same time, he wondered if it were better when the boy hadn't known about his existence. At least back then he'd had the quiet to think.

Oh well. Everything had its ups and downs. When he honestly considered it, it seemed better overall than when the kid had no idea of the thief being nearby.

It wasn't much longer before the car stopped, and it was good timing too. The sky was getting darker, and it looked like rain might be on the horizon. Slipping out of the car, Akefia looked around at where they were, curious about the place they would be living at now.

They stood at the end of an old looking street, where the buildings were the oldest. On the very corner stood a large building, a good three stories tall and made of brick, though the red looked like it had long since faded to a dull brown. Wooden beams framed the door and house all over, seeming almost decorative in some places rather than necessary, but what did he really know about architecture?

The front looked warm and inviting, the wooden door painted a bright shade of green and from a small yellow tinted glass window, light was spilling out. He couldn't imagine anyone would need this much space, even a group of four. He could tell at a glance it was much bigger than the old home, and seemed more suited to hold several families rather than just one.

Dr. Bakura pulled out the suitcases of the things they had, and carried them for his wife and children. His spouse meanwhile knocked on the door with a gentle rapping, and not two minutes later, the door was opened wide. An older looking woman, plump and short with a happy face and bundled up in several layers of warm looking clothing. Long white hair that reached almost to her waist in a braid, thick and soft looking despite her age.

"Ah, my child, you finally arrived," the old woman cooed, opening her arms wide to hug Mrs. Bakura. Though shorter than her by a good foot, she reached up and patted her on the head as if she were a mere child, and not a mother of two. "It's so good to see you after so long."

"Hello, Mum," she said, hugging her back and smiling softly. "Sorry we never visited. What with school and all..."

"Oh, no worries. No worries," the older woman said, waving her hand a bit. She looked over the group for a second before pausing at Ryou. Her eyes trailed slowly over him before continuing up and stopping when she looked directly at Akefia. Something seemed to sparkle in her eyes and the thief felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up all of a sudden. However, as soon as the sensation was there, it was gone, the woman looking away and gazing at the children again with a wide smile.

"Well, don't just stand in the doorway. Bad luck you know," she said, standing to the side to let the others come inside. "My, it's wonderful to have you all here. The children look all grown up, Katherine. They're simply beautiful."

The family walked in, Dr. Bakura dropping the suitcase on the floor and stretching his arms out.

"Thanks for letting us stay here while the movers take care of the new house," he said, reaching out to hug the woman. She returned it happily, nodding.  
>"Oh, of course. I'm always happy to have someone over, and this place is too big for a little old lady like me all by myself. The company is always more than welcome. No matter who it might be."<p>

The last sentence seemed to confuse Ryou's parents, but once again the woman who seemed to be the boy's grandmother was glancing up and looking right at Akefia. This could not just be a coincidence. Could she see him? He'd never come across something like that before. The only one he'd ever been able to communicate fully with was Shadi, and that had only been because of the tomb keeper being just as bit as dead as he was.  
>He peered suspiciously at the older woman. She wasn't a ghost too, was she?<p>

"Don't stare, sonny. I'll think you have a crush," she said quietly, and actually winked. He backed off quickly, the thought in and of itself a little creepy, even if technically he was much older than her and not the other way around.

"Uh... Mum. You feeling alright?" her daughter asked, clearly wondering what her mother was talking about.

"Oh, fine. Fine," she assured them with a laugh, shaking her head. "Just remembering a book I was reading this morning. It was about the most dashing young man and maiden. Why, it just made me feel so young again, reading about those two laying out on the grass, bare but for their-"

"MUM!" Katherine interrupted loudly, covering Amane's ears and shooting her mother a sharp look. She only cackled in response however and leaned down in front of the children. Clearly this woman felt she could do however she pleased in her own home, and all but ignored the seething look she was receiving.

"Ah, you two certainly look bigger than when I last saw you," she stated, reaching out for the two. They laughed a bit and hugged her happily. "It's been... oh, how long now?"

"Four years this summer," Ryou answered. "It's good to see you, Granny."

"Ah, has it been that long?" she inquired. "I seem to be losing track of time then. Time passes by much faster now with my age, I suppose. I feel a little cheated. Here I was hoping it would slow down a little now that I had so little to do."

"Awww, Grandma, you're not old," Amane chirped, smiling brightly.

"That's very kind of you to say, my dear, but considering you were just a baby the last time I remember seeing you, I'm afraid the facts don't agree with you," she said before standing up a bit. "Ah, my poor joints."

"Ah, here. Let me help you," Dr. Bakura said, taking her hand in his and helping her straighten up again. "You're not having any trouble getting around your home, are you? Katherine talked about having you live with us. It wouldn't be any trouble, you know."

"Oh, at that rate, you should live with me," she responded, shaking her head. "No, no. I know Katherine wanted to have her own space, and I couldn't bear to leave the home I've lived in most of my life. I'm perfectly content here, and I'm not as brittle as I sometimes look."

He opened his mouth to possible argue, but she suddenly laughed out loud, cutting him off.

"Now, now. I'm sure you're all a bit cold. Beastly weather and I don't imagine it was very comfortable to drive in. Why don't you all head to the kitchen? I already have some stew on the stove, and there's some freshly baked biscuits waiting on the table."

"Oooh, what kind?" Amane asked excitedly.

"Why chocolate chip, what else?" she replied.

Both children gave little excited whoops before running off, Ryou leading the way and their mother hurrying after them, calling after her children not to run in the house. Her husband followed afterward, both smiling and sighing at the same time.

Akefia was about to follow before a sudden cough caught his attention. He turned, suspicious.

The old bitty was staring at him, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the floor.

"Well?" she asked, clearly expecting something.

"Oh, don't waste your breath. It's not like you could even hear me anyway," he muttered.

"I'll have you know my hearing is every bit as good as my sight, and it's sharper than most, obviously," she said, smirking a bit. She looked much more shrewd now, not seeming like the old senile grandmother she had been just a short time ago. Akefia was both intrigued and greatly annoyed at the same time. Just who was this old bat anyway?

He supposed he should have been more shocked by the fact she could see and hear him. After all, that had never happened amongst the living before. He still had the slight suspicion she might be dead and the family just couldn't realize it for some reason. After all, Shadi interacted with the living world just fine, and no one could tell just from looking at him that he'd shrugged off the moral coil a very long time ago.

"How can you see me?" he asked suddenly.

"I have eyes," she informed him.

Oh, he was definitely getting more annoyed than intrigued. This lady was just getting plain vexing. Akefia had experienced whole lifetimes dealing with this kind of know-it-all but never wanted to answer any questions attitude, and he wasn't looking forward to anymore of it by any means.

"That's not what I mean, and you know it," he hissed. "I haven't been seen by anyone alive in years. How can you do it?"

"I'm more than some little old lady," she answered. "I've learned a lot in my years, and I like to keep my talents secret, but not unused. And tell me, young man. Just what are you doing, following my family around?"

"Not your family," he muttered, crossing his arms. "Just one of them."

"Oh? So a particular haunting?" she asked. "Who's the lucky target? If it's my daughter, it's a bit too late to ask me for permission to take her hand in marriage."

That one stumped Akefia, and he was sure he would have gagged if he still had a throat to do so with.

"Th-that... that's not why I'm here at all!" he yelled, incensed this woman was chalking up his haunting, something he was doing to ensure the fulfillment of his thousands-year-old need for vengeance, to something as simple as getting laid and matrimony.

And even if it was, he'd never had much interest in the homey mommy type anyway. Way too boring for him.

"Well then, what is the reason why you decided to follow my family here? Surely not to get out of the rain?"

"I'm only here because Ryou is," he snorted. "That's all."

"My grandson is a bit young for marriage, don't you think?"

Akefia flushed deeply this time. What the hell was wrong with this old woman?! Was she intentionally saying all this crap just to creep him the fuck out?!

The way she suddenly laughed made him think perhaps that guess wasn't so far off.

"You're certainly an amusing one," she said. "Very well. I guess anyone visiting is a welcome change of pace. Not like this place didn't used to be full of strangers all the time anyway. You're certainly not the weirdest guest I've had in my hotel. Feel free to kick your feet up and stay as long as you like. I would offer you a biscuit, but I doubt you'd be able to do much with it."

Chuckling as she left the hallway and moved to the living room, she soon disappeared from sight. For once, Akefia didn't follow just to be close to Ryou. He was more than close enough that the Ring wouldn't start tugging his soul, and that was fine enough for him. He didn't want to be anywhere near that weird old woman. She gave him the creeps, and considering he was the one that was dead and only a fractured soul, that was saying something.

She was nothing like his own grandmother, who was harsh and bitter, never cracking jokes and certainly never smiling as much as this one did. They would have been as different as night and day, yet they both seemed to possess the talent for saying and doing things that drove him up the wall. As it was, he didn't have any idea how to deal with this woman, his former experiences with his own guardian not preparing him for such a chipper woman, even if she looked like she was going to be every bit as frustrating to him.

He supposed it was a good thing this situation wouldn't last long. They couldn't possibly stay here for any lengthy amount of time before they move into their new house, could they? He hoped sincerely that it wasn't an extended visit. Such a thing would be pure torture for him to have to put up with. Somehow he got the feeling she wouldn't be content with just leaving him alone, or with being ignored.  
>But he could hope. With luck, he wouldn't have to be bothered with her for too long.<p>

Deciding to stay away from wherever the kitchen was for now, he moved to explore the rest of the first floor. Several rooms were very cluttered with furniture and other nick-knacks, though it was very clean, no dust anywhere. Clearly this woman was in good enough health to take care of her home, no matter how she'd complained about her joints and age earlier. It was a very homey seeming place, though pretty big for just one person.

He found one room just to the right with no doorway that looked to be a very large sitting room, and in the back, a front desk built right into the wall. Behind it, there was a green board with several hooks with skeleton keys hanging off of them. It was the only thing that looked a bit dirty, a thin layer of dust laying over them. She had said this place was a hotel as he recalled. No wonder there was so much space here. Didn't seem as if that was the place's purpose anymore though.

He looked up suddenly when he felt the moving of the Ring, and went back to the hallway curiously where he saw Ryou chattering happily with his mother, and carrying his small suitcase.

"You're sure you want to go to bed so soon?" she asked. "It's hardly seven o'clock."

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said with a nod. "I'm a bit tired from the trip."

"Well, alright. Rest well, sweetheart."

After getting a kiss on the forehead, Ryou smiled and started to move up the stairs, dragging his luggage behind him. He seemed to have an idea where he was going, walking down a long hallway and finally stopping at a door painted a pure white. Grasping the brass handle, he turned it and pushed the door open, walking inside.

"Ah, finally," he sighed, sitting down on the floor gratefully and stretching. "I was waiting to finally be alone. Hope Granny isn't mad."

"She could stand to have something not go her way," Akefia muttered.

Humming, Ryou of course didn't hear him. Instead he was fiddling with the latches of his suitcase and opened it quickly. Moving his clothes to the side, he pulled out what was hidden underneath. The Ouija board, of course.

He set it up quickly and took the Ring from around his neck, placing it on the board and smiled brightly. He was as excited as he always was when he had the chance to talk to the spirit, and this seemed to be no exception.

"So, do you like the new house, Thief?" he asked curiously.

Akefia briefly toyed with the idea of not answering and simply pretending to not want to talk, but he seriously doubted Ryou would be so easily deterred. So he just sat down on the opposite side of the board and placed his hand on the Item, slowly moving it over to the, "Yes," answer.

"Ah, I'm glad. This place is kind of old, so I thought you might like it. I think our place is going to be fairly new though. Sorry."

"It's fine. I don't mind," he spelled out for him, though it amazed him Ryou seemed aware of how Akefia felt about older places and how much he liked them. No, it was probably a coincidence, that was all. Or... well, they were connected. Maybe Ryou could tell somehow. It wasn't such a bad thought, their connection seeming to grow so much anyway. If he could pick up subtle things, it couldn't hurt anything, least he didn't think it could.

"This place actually used to be a hotel," Ryou explained. "Granny and Mother told me a lot about it, especially Granny. Most of it I got told the last time I was here. It was built back when this town was little more than a large train station. Apparently Granny used to run it as a little bed and breakfast. She and Grandpa bought it before he enlisted in the army and sent back most of his pay to help her out. In fact, this is where mother and father met, when he stayed here for a couple weeks during one of his trips. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yes," Akefia answered, feeling it was actually an interesting story. He could practically feel the old age of the house, and it was rather comforting. If it weren't for the crazy old lady, he might have liked to live here while he continued his mission.

He found himself wondering if Ryou liked it here as much as he did. He certainly looked excited, and the thief couldn't imagine the boy was very found of his old home, full of bullies and bad memories. He found himself curious if his hunch was true, and for the first time, he started to move the Ring without being asked a question, instead asking one of his own.

"Do you like it here better?"

Ryou looked down at the Ouija board, seeming a little surprised by the question before he grinned widely and nodded.

"I love it," he said. "I haven't ever really lived here before. We always visited, but it's a completely new home. It's exactly like I remember too. I hope I can make some friends here. Maybe someone will want to play games with me, or be interested in my models. I sure do hope so."

"Me too."

The boy laughed a bit, and nodded again.

"Yeah, it will be great. I'm sure I'll have lots and lots of friends. And Amane too. We'll have so much fun here, and we'll be able to see Granny all the time too. I sure did miss her when we couldn't come here. She's pretty smart and she knows a whole lot. It's pretty interesting, hearing some of her stories. She's lived a looooong time, so it seems like she knows a little bit about everything."

He laughed again, seeming to be in a very giggly mood all of a sudden.

"Kinda like you," he pointed out.

Akefia didn't know where the boy got that impression. He never talked about himself, or told any stories. He wouldn't even divulge his name, or how long he'd been dead. The information seemed too personal, and he had guarded it too long to be willing to give it up to anyone, not even his destined host. Besides, he was sure the stories his grandmother told him were much better than whatever he could inform the boy of. His life had been one cruel joke of the gods, not some fairy tale you told unsuspecting children who were looking for entertainment.

It was okay though, because Ryou didn't ask much. More often than not, he talked about himself, his hopes and desires. He seemed to respect the spirit's privacy, as much as a curious child could anyway. It seemed an honest innocence laid in his soul, something untainted and whole.

The thief never remembered a time when he had been such a way, but he wondered if perhaps he had been. Only before his village had been destroyed, but even before then, he knew the concept of death and starvation. He hadn't been able to stop that from changing. He had learned there were worse fates out there than by dying by accident or through old age. Murder and men without mercy were rampant, and his own version of innocence had been shredded as easily as if he'd been wearing a paper mask shielding his sight from such horrors.

There was no way he would allow himself to be like Zork and do the same thing to this little boy.

"Do you think you'll like your new home?" he asked the boy softly, moving the Ring to form the words even as he spoke.

"I think so. It would be nice to stay with Granny, but we'll only be here for a few days. I think Father is going to go supervise the movers while everything settles in. He says he's gonna stay for a while this time too! He's going to be here a whole month, isn't that great?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, that's what I think too. He's going to be able to spend some time with Amane and I. He sure does work hard though, to have to be gone all the time. I wonder if he ever finds anything interesting on his digs."  
>Akefia chuckled. Oh, like this kid wouldn't believe.<p>

"But still, it would be great to have him around," Ryou rambled. "And I think Mother will be happy for it too. She seems a little sad lately. I can't see why. She grew up in this house. I would have thought she'd love to come back to England. Maybe she just liked the old house a whole lot. What do you think?"

"No idea."

"Hmmm. That's too bad. I was hoping you might know. But I suppose even ghosts can't know everything. But I think she'll cheer up soon. After all, Father is staying for a while, and that means she gets to spend some time with him too. So soon there won't be any reason for her to be sad, I just know it. Pretty soon, it will all be normal again."

Until the man left again, that is.

He couldn't blame the child for not realizing. Hell, he hadn't noticed himself at first, but that woman was lonely. Spending her life without her spouse, raising her children and never seeing her husband, it was leaving her bitter. Things like that had been all too common when he'd been alive, but it was much more rare now. She put on a brave face for her children, but Akefia could see it now.

She resented her husband or leaving her all alone, and for some reason, for bringing her back here.

"I'm sure it will be," he wrote out, not wishing to worry the boy. No reason to involve him in problems meant for adults. "Will you get back to building your models when you get your things again? I like them a lot."

"My models? Really, you like them?" Ryou asked, looking amazed.

"Yes."

"Oh wow. Thanks. Yes, I plan on working on them some more when everything gets unpacked and I'm moved into my new room. I wanted to take some modeling clay with me, but there wasn't much space with the Ouija board in there, and honestly, as fun as my models are, I like talking with you a whole lot more."

Did he now? Well, he supposed that was a nice little compliment. Especially considering how little the boy would talk to anyone, but it seemed he could be a little chatter box if he had someone he wanted to talk to.

"Thank you," he spelled, feeling oddly satisfied with what Ryou said.

"You're welcome," Ryou said, smiling softly at him.

Ryou looked up at him, and even though the boy had no idea where Akefia could really be sitting, it felt for a second the boy really could see him, that they were really just sitting here and chatting, like he was still alive. It was a feeling he often got with Ryou, just like he had felt when he'd been laying in the snow, watching the world go by and enjoying all the sense the little body gave him.

Despite having only revenge to look forward to... it was still something he cherished.

Maybe he just missed being alive. Maybe this boy could make him feel alive again, and he was so greedy for it, he couldn't help but indulge himself and Ryou. But it was a good feeling one way or the other, and one of the things that didn't worry him these days.

After all the horrible things that had happened, he felt he deserved that at the very least.

He let Ryou chat a little bit after that, mostly about things like how he wondered what school was going to be like, or if he would be allowed to go to the crafts store soon and get some supplies for more of his self made toys. The thief indulged him before feeling it was time for him to go to bed. Removing the Ring and carefully placing it back around Ryou's neck, the usual sign that he was done with talking for a while, he was pleased when the boy got the hint and put the board back in the suitcase and crawled into bed.

Ryou fell asleep soon afterward and Akefia moved over to the window. It wasn't as big as the old one, but the perch was comfortable enough to him, and he waited the night out patiently in the quiet.

By the time morning came around, he could hear faint movement around the house. From the sound of pans getting moved around, he guessed it was time for breakfast. Moving close to Ryou, he tugged a bit at the Ring, pulling at the cord around his neck just enough to rouse him.  
>Green eyes sliding open, he groaned a bit before rubbing his eyes.<p>

"Ahhh, time to wake up already?" he yawned as he sat up and continued to rub at his eyes. He sniffed for a second before grinning widely and throwing his comforter off. "Oooh! I smell muffins!"

Racing down the stairs without even bothering to change out of his pajamas, he looked into the kitchen to see his mother setting up breakfast, eggs sizzling and busy over the stove. Looking up when Ryou snuck in, she smiled a bit at his wide eyes looking at the tray of fluffy looking treats on the table.

"Oh, go ahead," she laughed, obviously in a much better mood than the night before. "Bring one to your grandmother, will you? She's been cooped up in the study all morning. I want her to eat at least a little, but she's insisting she's busy."

Having no problem with the chore if it meant he could have his treat, he quickly scooped up three, holding one in his mouth with his teeth and taking one in each hand.

"'Or 'Mane," he gave in a muffled explanation, before running off before his mother could scold him.

Chewing happily on his sweet breakfast, he quickly swallowed down his muffin and moved to a door. Juggling the breakfast as best he could, he managed to open it without dropping anything and walked inside.

"Granny?" he asked quietly, seeing her perched on an overstuffed couch with a big sketch pad on her lap, lazily drawing as the soft morning light spilled over her from the window.

She looked up at him and smiled a bit, glancing up quickly before going back down to her sketch book with a bit more vigor than before for a couple moments before pausing in her work.

"Good morning, Ryou," she said kindly. "What's that you have in your hands?"

"Muffins," he said brightly, walking over to her and holding one out. "Mother said she wanted you to eat something."

"Ah, she babies me as if I were her child instead of the other way around," she laughed, but took the food and took a small bite. "Yummy. Of course, I was the one who made the recipe, so what do you expect?"

Ryou giggled a bit and nodded, seemingly in perfect agreement.

"I see you have a spare one," she commented, seeing the only one that didn't have a bite in it yet.

"It's for Amane," Ryou said. "I'll bring it to her next."

"Oh, before you do that, I have a small favor to ask of you," the old woman said. "I've been working on this all morning, and I wanted an opinion on it. So, tell me, what do you think?"

She turned the sketch pad around for the boy, and both he and Akefia's eyes went wide. On the yellow and aged paper there were several sketched pictures of the Thief King, some half finished, some done in fine detail. There were a few expressions, while others were fully body portraits, and the whole page was filled with sketched images of him.

Akefia's shock was nothing to Ryou's though. The little boy could only stare at the page, his mouth and eyes widening slowly, and for a moment it seemed as if he had forgotten to breathe.

"I..." he whispered softly, not even noticing his grandmother's confused expression. "I've seen him before. In... in a dream."

End of Chapter 10

I should feel bad about leaving this slight cliffhanger, but I don't. Enjoy it people. Don't worry, I've already got the next chapter fully planned out, so it shouldn't take me long to get the next update done.

And what can I say? Like before, I just loved writing this. The characters, the dialogue, the house, all of it was just a blast for me. Ryou's grandmother is so unorthodox, I can't help but adore her to bits. She's one of those older people who's so old, they've stopped caring one wit about what anyone thinks about them.

In any case, please review if you enjoyed it. I'm always very hungry for opinions on this, and I'm aching to know what everyone thinks of the story.


	11. Acceptance

Things have been busy since the last update. At work someone suddenly just quit, and I've been having to work most of his shifts now. My regular work day is a twelve hour shift minimum, and now I've got extra hours AND days I have to work. It's been cutting my energy and free time down to zilch, so what little time I have had mostly was going towards resting. Not to mention the little writing time I had ended up going to some deathshipping projects that I've been promising a few people. However, I'm putting that on the back burner because it is unfair to write a cliffhanger and go so long without an update. So I'm happy to present after a weekend spent writing this, the next chapter of Chains of Shadow. And of course, thanks two my two lovely betas who are gracious enough to help me through this.

The show, manga, and concept of Yu-Gi-Oh! does not belong to me in any way. This fanfiction was written for fun and to entertain. In no way is it a claim of ownership, intended copy right, or made for profit.

Chapter 11: Acceptance

The interest in the eyes of Ryou's grandmother was unmistakable. At his confession of dreaming about the man she was drawing before, she peered at him with a very keen curiosity. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her with such an intense and serious look about her before, and it amazed him almost as much as her drawings did.

"You've dreamed about him before?" she asked him. "When?"

"Ah, it was just once," he said. "But it was weird. I don't remember much about it. He was talking funny, and not much happened. But... how did you know what he looked like? Have you seen him before?"

She saw him glance up for a moment and her usually kind expression slowly formed into a frown. She sighed and shook her head, muttering something under her breath about rude house guests. His eyes widened and nearly spun around like a top to look behind him. Nothing was there but empty air, at least nothing he could see. If it had been before he knew he was getting followed around by a ghost, maybe he wouldn't have made the connection, yet it was impossible not to be able to figure it out. After all, all the signs were pointing to only one conclusion.

"You... you can see him?" he whispered out in a soft whisper, as if afraid of being overheard. This conversation was incredibly private, just between the two of them. It was sacred and special, for no one's ears but their very own. "Like... you... can really see him? What he looks like... and where he is? Really?"

"Can't you?" his grandmother asked him, but he shook his head. He felt a bit jealous. He was nothing if not curious about the ghost following him around. If he'd be able to actually look at him... Well, it would have certainly made things easier on him at the very least.

The older woman leaned back and gave a soft sigh. Once again she glanced over his shoulder as she rested against the pillows and stuffing of the couch, seeming to contemplate a few things.

"How did you know he was here?" she asked. "If you can't see him?"

"We've been talking," Ryou said, but he was now completely focused on looking behind him. He tried to squint, hoping to see what his grandmother could, but there was nothing there, nothing at all except the dust floating up in air, seeming to glow in the morning rays of the sun. He felt almost cheated. Why could she see it and he couldn't? "I got the old Ouija board from the attic and we've been talking that way."

"My, you are a smart boy. I had completely forgotten I had left that at your old home when I came to visit. Well, I'm glad you're putting it to good use."

"Can you hear him too?" Ryou found himself asking. If she could see him, surely he could hear him.

"Oh, of course I can," she replied before her eyes narrowed in dislike. She was now permanently staring at the bookshelf, and she was frowning deeply. "But the things he's saying aren't appropriate to be repeated in public anyway. He rants a lot."

"What? Why?"

"Oh, who knows?" the older woman stated, shaking her hand to wave aside the question. "I guess he can only find it annoying he can talk to me and not you. I think he likes you a lot."

Ryou's eyes widened at that, clasping his hands together over his heart and broke out into a grin, while a light seemed to shimmer in his eyes. He seemed pleased as punch.

"Really? He likes me?!" he exclaimed.

Akefia slapped his face at this completely idiotic conversation he was being forced to witness. Ryou couldn't have looked happier that the ghost haunting him seemed to be attached to him. Oh, if only he knew.

Still, it seemed his young little mind had long since forgotten how he'd hurt a whole bunch of people in his defense. Either he had really forgotten that detail, something he doubted given how intelligent he could be when he wanted, or it was starting to bother him less and less.

He didn't even know why he was so mad. This should be a good thing. He had a way to communicate better with the boy now. Anything he could possible want to tell him, he could just tell the old bat. And yet, he didn't want to. He didn't want this woman to be able to see or hear him, even if it meant it would possible give him a better way to connect with the boy.

Which was crazy. Why was it so special to him, Ryou finally being able to talk to him on his own. They had figured out the barriers, and had overcome them together. Who the fuck did this old dried up bitch think she was, just waltzing in and proudly declaring she could accomplish what they'd had to work so hard for? It wasn't at all fair. It was like...

It was like there was someone intruding on them, that their little bond was in danger of no longer being unique or special.

Something like this shouldn't have mattered. Why did it? Why did it bother him that his host could barely talk with him, and this old woman could do it so easily? He couldn't stand it, to think there was something special about her, because it meant... that there wasn't something special about Ryou. He couldn't stand that. Even though it shouldn't have mattered, even though it couldn't have really mattered, it did.

Sighing, he decided just to spend the rest of the day in his Soul Room. He didn't want to allow that old bat to be able to take what wasn't hers, and if that meant hiding, so be it.

"Oh... he's gone," she sighed, sounding a little disappointed.

Ryou turned to her, seeming confused at first.

"What?" he asked.

"That man, he disappeared," she explained. "Oh well, I guess he didn't like the company. It's a shame though, he seemed so lively. Well, I don't think he cares much for me anyway. Not that I'm not used to getting on people's nerves."

She laughed suddenly, seeming more amused by his flight now than as if she'd been foiled. Cackling a few minutes before she realized her grandson was staring at her, she wiped at her eyes and smiled. Patting him on the head, she did her best to look reassuring, and she felt she did a pretty good job of it. After all, she was a grandmother with a lot of practice.

"Now, now. I'm sure he hasn't gone for good," she reassured him. "He's probably hiding and having a good sulk somewhere, though I can't imagine where he could be. It's like his presence left entirely. Maybe he's just out of the house. Still, I have no doubt he'll be back."

"You don't think he's mad or anything, do you?" he asked.

She arched an eyebrow at him, looking at him curiously.

"Now, why would you say that?"

"Well... I don't know," he said slowly. "I mean, you said he was yelling and stuff... but it seemed more than that. Just for a second... I... I felt a bit... like someone was mad at me. I don't know why. Ah... I don't know. Never mind. It's silly."

"Oh no, my dear boy. I don't think it's silly at all," she said, hoping to comforting him. "You clearly have a connection to him, but I think it's something neither you... or even him admittedly, seem to understand. I do know this though, when ghosts follow you, it's for a very important purpose, and I don't think he means any harm. In fact, he reminds me of a dog. He barks more than he seems to want to actually bite."

Ryou chewed his lip at this, unable to quite meet her eyes, but nodded at her words.

"Either way, I think you need to do your best to keep this secret," she said, suddenly serious again. "Ryou, not everyone can notice things like I do, and it seems that you can, though to a smaller extent. Some people don't even believe in it. Now, you haven't told anyone about this, have you?"

"No, Granny. No one at all," he informed her. "Promise."

"Good. You keep it that way, do you understand me. This is very, very important. Don't tell anyone, anyone at all. Not even your father or Amane, and especially not your mother. This is very important that you keep it to yourself."

The young boy quickly nodded. The truth was, he had not intent to ever tell anyone anyway, but the way his grandmother looked so serious made his resolution only resolve. If she thought it was best to keep it secret as well, he definitely knew he'd made the right decision to keep it a secret. She was right too, not everyone believed, and very few would take it too well.

"I won't tell a soul," he said. "It'll just be between you and me."

"Good boy. Now, why don't you run along and get that treat to your sister?" she suggested. "Granny has some thinking she has to do."

"Okay," he said before hesitating for a second. "Uh... just... Can I please ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Can I... well... Do you think it would be alright if I could... have that?"

He pointed at the sketch book she'd been previously drawing in, a hopeful look in his eyes. Understanding filled her face a moment later as she looked down at her sketches.

"You want the picture?" she asked to which he nodded.

"I'd like to look at it more, so I can see what he looks like," he explained.

"Well, I don't see why not," she said with a shrug. "Certainly couldn't hurt anything."

Picking up the sketchpad, she carefully tore the page out and folded up the large piece of paper for him. Sticking it carefully into his pocket so he couldn't get it dirty with his sticky fingers, she smiled and patted his head before sending him off.

As she watched him go, she sighed softly and stared up at the ceiling. Something was definitely going on, something a bit more than she had thought at first. It seemed more important than some random haunting, and why her boy? Why her precious little Ryou? It felt as if she were sitting at a jigsaw puzzle, and only half the pieces were there, giving her no clue on how even to start trying to figure it out, and no idea what the end result would be even if she could get some of it put together.

"Just who are you, you tricky little ghost?" she mused aloud.

#-#

Days passed, all without much incident. Akefia resolved not to leave his Soul Room whenever Ryou wandered around the house, though would gladly talk with him when the boy was in his bedroom, the Ouija board always a welcome sight. He still didn't say much about himself, resolved to keep the boy out of his mission and only use him when he had to, in order to continue his search. He knew telling the boy would only scare him, possibly put him in danger, so he stayed just as determined as before to keep him out of the loop.

He wouldn't have even need the board though. It would have been easy to tell the old woman everything, to have her explain it to her grandson, but for what purpose? If she knew the truth, she wouldn't willing allow Ryou to do anything, not if she was a decent parent figure in any way. She'd try to protect him, and it would turn into one big mess. Besides, Akefia wanted to protect the boy too, and he had no plans to let him get involved more than what was absolutely necessary.

Eventually it was time to leave, their own home ready to be moved into. The thief allowed himself to be outside of the Millennium Ring, mostly because he wanted the old woman to see him leaving. He had a feeling she already knew for sure he would depart with the family, but it felt best to be sure. So far she hadn't snooped around too much, allowing him some level of privacy, but he didn't know how far that courtesy would extend. He just wanted her to see him leaving and then hopefully forget about him, and everything she'd seen.

It probably wouldn't be that easy, but he could hope if he wanted to.

He supposed he just didn't like her on principle, he mused as he waited at the doorstep while she hugged her family goodbye and asked them to come by again soon to see her. Never before had any living being seen him, and he didn't know why that was. Were there others like her? He knew before when he'd been alive he had seen ghosts, the dead of his family, but that was because he had a connection to them, because they were important to him. Sure, they were mediums, but never... EVER had he run into one that could notice him. And Shadi could be seen by anyone he wanted, not trapped in a Millennium Item like he was. Was that the key, because he was trapped in the Ring, making it so only a very special select few could interact with him?

It all made him feel uneasy, an unknown factor, and he had too many of those in his plans as it was. He did not need another one in the works.

So, he was happy to say farewell to the house. He was sure he would be back. They weren't living far from here from what he understood and he was sure there would be plenty of visits. Ryou and Amane seemed nothing if not adoring to their grandmother, so he knew he would be drug back to this house many times. But he could handle that as it came.

He determinedly looked away when he saw her glance up and try to catch his eyes. He had a feeling she was getting just as curious about his existence as he was baffled by her abilities, but he had no desire at all to interact. It would only encourage her, and he was pleased by the little sigh he heard. It sounded as if she were giving up, at least for now and he was more than happy with that.

Finally they all piled into the car and were driving off, the children climbing up into the seat to wave through the back window at their grandmother while she waved back at them from her porch. The thief felt a little pang of nostalgia, finding himself missing his own grandparent, but surprisingly he didn't dwell on it for too long. He found himself thinking about her, not dead, but waiting for him. It was one of the most hopeful thoughts he'd had in years. Yes, his own grandmother was waiting for him, somewhere beyond the veil that separated the living from the dead. She would probably hit him over the head instead of hug him when he got to her, yell at him for taking so long and allowing it to get this far out of hand, but he would look forward to it.

For the first time, in all his years of revenge, he thought past what would no doubt be his final fight and dream... maybe... maybe when this was all over, he'd be allowed to do as Ryou did, and come back home.

Maybe it was because he'd been thinking a bit too much about family lately. As hard as he'd fought it and second guessed every passing second since he'd found his host, he'd been acting different. Frankly, he'd been getting mushy, and he'd felt himself... well, changing. His bond with Ryou was meaning more to him than it should have. When this had all started, the boy was just a host, a mean to an end. He'd tried to stop that, to fight it. He'd said he couldn't allow himself to get attached. He was in a fight that might kill him in the end, might kill the boy if he wasn't careful. If he started to care too much, it would impede him, he just knew it.

Deep down though, he couldn't lie to himself. He just wasn't that good at suppressing his feelings. The same reason he'd tried to make the Pharaoh understand why he was fighting all those times that he attacked. He had a fierce honest streak him... for a murder thief anyway.

No, Ryou wasn't just a means to an end. He was a cute, innocent, if not somewhat weird boy with a twisted idea of what was interesting and what should be feared. His sweet family was something that should affect Akefia postively, not make him think bitter thoughts of jealousy. No longer was he going to look at these people and be reminded of the people he'd lost, and feel anger because the fucking hope was just welling up inside of him, and he liked it despite himself. No more hiding from the shot of contentment, no more getting jealous, and no more telling himself he should be ignoring Ryou instead of cherishing him. He shouldn't be getting angry about how strong or weak their connection was, and if it bothered him that it wasn't strong enough, he'd just find a way to make it stronger.

Because things had long since stopped being simple. Before it had just been a mission. This little boy was his way to fight Zork, once he figured out just how to do it. He was skin to ride, not a person to treasure or have feelings for. But Ryou had tried so hard to talk to him, showed interest and happiness that he could connect with the spirit. For the first time ever since his village's death, he felt wanted. Not as a pawn, or a thief to kill, or Shadi's personal experiment. He was just... wanted. For no other reason than that. As if he was worth wanting for more than just personal gain. As if he could make a good friend, despite being dead and torturing a few people.

It wasn't personal. It was just his mission. A means to an end.

Nothing more than a means to an end.

Nothing.

Sighing, he felt a smile form on his lips. Before, it hadn't been personal, but now those thoughts he'd had before... they didn't mean anything to him anymore. He was glad to be rid of them. He thought back to when he'd been trapped in his Soul Room with Zork, his thoughts going in endless, useless circles and unable to get them to stop. All in all, he was glad to be done with that garbage now. He wasn't going to second guess himself, and keep thinking the same morbid thoughts and worries. His host, his little precious host had changed all that. He was going to start doing things right. He was going to protect this boy, but he was going to care for him too. True, he could never tell him the full truth, never let him lose his normal life, but he'd share in it. He'd indulge himself and enjoy it, and stop worrying so much what would happen if he let himself care.

Because dammit, he was tired of worrying too much. Was it too much to want to be happy?

Well, since connecting to Ryou, he found that... maybe it wasn't.

#-#

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into... Well, Akefia did his best not to pay attention. It seemed as if there was always new things to look at, Ryou's father constantly working hard and bringing back new material. His searches turned relentless, though he did his best to keep things normal. He was patient, he had to be. His search for the Millennium Puzzle, for the Pharaoh wasn't going well, but it would someday. He just had to keep reminding himself of that. He felt the things stirring, changing somewhere far in the background where he couldn't reach. Something was happening, and he could sense it.

He often talked to Ryou, but as always he kept his lips tightly sealed about himself or his past. The boy had long ago accepted this, and mostly talked about himself, as if the thief was his little diary. It didn't bother the spirit at all, though the little reports meant almost nothing to him. He followed the boy everywhere, saw everything he did so the talks weren't really all that needed. But they were still nice to spend the time with him. He could understand the boy better and better with every passing day, able to read his thoughts and moods by the expressions on his face, watching him grow and change, and yet stay ever the same in his actions and personality.

He didn't limit his time to just his host either, wanting to fully enjoy the experience he was being allowed. Occasionally he would pretend to be the boy aside from just nights when he searched Dr. Bakura's office for clues. He would ask the man about his work at dinner, spend time helping his mother with chores around the house. Sometimes he got caught by Amane and was forced to play games, and while he protested slightly as any older sibling would, he found himself greatly enjoying it. It wasn't because she was too cute to say no to, even as she too started to grow older and got less cute and more spunky. It was because the time inside of Ryou's body, able to pretend he was alive in some extension this family was also his was like a hit of a drug. It gave him comfort he'd long had to do without, and he deeply cherished every moment he had with them.

He watched his host growing up into a young teenager and felt proud of him, and it was more than just pleasure that the boy could accomplish more with an older body. It was just enjoyable to see the boy change and grow up into a respectable young man. He noticed things like the little bit of baby fat that still stubbornly clung to the boy all the way into middle school, and how endearing it made him look. When he found Ryou bullied and took the boy over to chase them away, he did it happily because he didn't want the boy impaired somehow by injury or even made unhappy, and because he was being protective. He still kept his promise to not seriously hurt anyone but delighted in scaring off anyone that dared mess with his new family.

Because Akefia had allowed himself to care, and he was just happier for it. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he was the closest he'd ever felt to alive in so many years. He could allow himself to watch Ryou as he slept and feel proud as he got older. He could allow himself to care about the boy, because it just... it was distracting from all his pain and fears from before. His revenge was everything to him, his drive had gotten him through untold years and it was still important, but it didn't mean it had to be the only important thing to him. This possession of the boy was not for pleasure or comfort, not strictly... but he'd enjoy it anyway. He could do both, dammit, and he was going to. He looked back on times when he'd laid in the snow after playing with Amane and smiled, knowing now as important as his revenge was, he could find the balance, care for those around him as more than just ways to achieve his goals.

Maybe it was a weakness and indulgence, but that didn't make him want to stop. He was tired of being alone with his thoughts that weighed so heavily on him. There were fears yes, that this would come crashing down like his village did, but it could come crashing down one way or the other, and he chose to spend his time making good memories instead of pointless worries on what ifs. The feelings on why his connection with Ryou wasn't as strong drove him on to make a deeper connection, to someday make it so they could talk for real someday. He'd make their connection strong enough one day, so they would be able to just talk instead of relying on a Ouija board to communicate.

Time passed, as time had to do. Visits to their grandmother, school, hobbies and daily life went by. Two children grew up little by little, and the thief continued his work. Nothing too exciting ever happened, and nothing really ever changed. He found himself getting less frantic in his search and just continuing it with patience instead of anger, sure one day he'd find what he needed. He just basked in the time he had with Ryou, and enjoyed all the little things like paper still in the boy's possession, now hung up on his bedroom wall with various other pictures and posters, most of them for some silly game where the boy liked to believe he was a hero fighting monsters. A few times he had some people come over to play it, but it seemed like silly nonsense to him, and none of his friends lasted long, coming and going as if they were leaves drifting on the wind. He just wasn't the type that seemed capable of keeping friends, a quality in him that made him easily forgettable to people somehow.

But it was okay, because it wasn't ever going to happen for the thief. He was going to stay by Ryou's side through it all.

The need for a deeper bond had confused him at first. The flare of anger and indignation some woman that meant nothing to him could see and talk to him, yet his host couldn't... it had pissed him off, and he didn't know why. He didn't like uncertainties, and he was never able to ignore them. When he'd been young, when he'd been a little boy, he'd longed for company. Seeing everyone torn away from him, he'd clung to them as ghosts. It was the only thing that gave him comfort, and in his final fight, in his last attempt to kill the Pharaoh, he'd lost them yet again. The pain had been unbearable, even worse than dying himself.  
>And now... now this little boy who had started as little more than as a body to steal and use, was growing up, and he was getting more and more fond of him. He wanted to talk to him, he wanted Ryou to see him, and he hated the fact that he couldn't. It tore him up inside and for his life, he didn't get why. Was their bond that much to him? If it was, why wasn't it stronger? Why couldn't he do everything with the boy he longed to do?<p>

He told himself it would help whenever he 'spoke' with Ryou, or whenever he played with Amane. He allowed himself to be selfish by getting annoyed when his friends came over, and he felt a longing in his chest when those kids could talk to and touch Ryou yet he couldn't. He clung to the boy and wanted more, and hid from his grandmother in a pure form of sulking, because if his host couldn't see him, then no one else would be allowed to either.

Akefia cared for him, his host. His perfect, precious host who had long ago stopped being some annoying little kid and was instead someone cherished and special. It only intensified when he got older, but Akefia found some comfort in it instead of fear. It really didn't bother him so much. He didn't stop and look at his host and wonder if maybe this existence wasn't so bad. He knew now it was a good one and he planned to savor it for as long as he could. He wouldn't have to think about what would happen when he finally did meet the Pharaoh again, knowing what would come would come but he'd let that be in the future, and just relish the present he had.

It would happen eventually, he was sure. Someday his mission would be accomplished, and then... well, who knew what would happen then? Maybe he'd finally die, all the way dead. Maybe he would be stuck in a little piece of gold forever, but consider its power came from the demon he was trying to kill, he somehow doubted that. Once its power was gone, maybe he would be too. Maybe he could be able to move on and go to his own family, the one that he belonged with.

Or maybe he was stuck with Ryou, with this bond that he wished was stronger for completely selfish reasons. Maybe he'd be with the host until he grew old and died then left Akefia alone. Maybe... shit, maybe the whole world would fucking blow up. He didn't know.

He'd spent too long of his existence planning this out with too many uncertainties, and it had never worked. It had driven him crazy, and grief coupled with anger had made him follow a demon who had slaughtered his family and his happiness. But now he was just going to take it as it came. As Shadi said, fate would attend to itself, and he would search, but he wouldn't forsake the new family he had now. If he lost them tomorrow, it would be hard, but ever moment spent with them would make it all hurt a little less.

Besides, who knew. Maybe it wouldn't be a bad ending for him. Maybe he could hold out for hope, and he'd actually be on the side that won and get their perfect happy endings this time.

End of Chapter 11

I'm much happier with this chapter than the first time I wrote it. Filler chapters can be tough to get right, and this require a few times to make just perfect. It has an upbeat attitude, one I think Akefia has needed for a long, long time. Yes, you wish-washy little ghost. Be happy for once. You deserve it.

Well, please let me know what you think of this chapter in a review. It's greatly appreciated.


	12. Cut Short

There isn't really much I can say about this chapter that won't give things away. Suffice to say, it really took a lot to get through it, and it wasn't the easiest to write. I hope everyone enjoys it though, and please remember that Yu-Gi-Oh belongs to Kazuki Takahashi and not myself. Thank you.

Chapter 12: Cut Short

"I don't suppose you care at all that we're going to be late, do you? I have practice in less than thirty minutes, and I can't afford to miss the bus."

"We can always take a taxi."

"No, we can't. Mum didn't give me money for a taxi, and I don't think you're planning on chipping in from your toy money."

Ryou sighed and shook his head, looking up at his sister. Though only twelve, she had the typical preteen attitude these days. Bossy, used to getting her way, and not afraid to speak her mind. She'd certainly gotten sassier as time had gone on, something he would have found annoying if he didn't love her so much.

"They're figures, not toys," he explained, placing the kit back on the shelf. He'd just found a wonderful new module for a role-playing group he'd long since gotten into, Monster World. It seemed like a really fun campaign to go through, and he needed some new figures for it. With a few half built, he'd been looking for some more materials to finish them up, and since he'd been here anyway he'd planned to see if there were any kits he could pick up in order to build off of for the new villain the module had. "It's a justified and fun pass time, not some game little kids play. Not like it's tick-tack-toe or Go Fish."

"We've been in this hobby shop for over an hour though," she stated. "I'm all for your gaming, Onii-san, but I've got to get to lacrosse practice."

"I thought it was gymnastics today," he said, feeling confused.

"No, the schedule was shifted around. See, gymnastics is on Thursday now," she explained. "Lacrosse got moved as well and is on Tuesday for the next couple months, and baseball and track is still on Friday."

He furrowed his brows, feeling something was missing here.

"Didn't you have tennis too?" he asked her. "Like on Monday or something?"

"Oh," she said, looking embarrassed. "Well, the tennis club is still going, but while construction for the new courts is going on at the school they're moving inside the gym and just playing ping-pong."

"And so you're now going because..."

"Because I can't play ping-pong," she snapped, shaking her head. Blowing the bangs out of her face, she looked away and shoved her hands on her pockets. He resisted the urge to laugh at her, but only barely. She'd become such a fitness nut, always desiring to be outside and play some kind of sport. Not being good at something even a little athletic had to be a bit of a wound to her pride.

"Well, I'm sure they'll get back to a sport you actually like soon enough," he said, stretching a bit and popping his back. "Okay, come on. You're right, we don't want to be late for your practice."

"Wait, aren't you going to buy anything?" she inquired. "It was the whole reason for coming here first, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, but not a whole kit," he admitted. "I'm just used to building my own figures anyway, and none of the kits are really appealing to me. I'll just get the paint and spare lead pieces with the glue and we can head out. Besides, no need to pick a whole bulking kit I don't even want that much, just to take it to the school. I don't want to be hauling that much stuff around everywhere."

"Well, if you're sure. Just grab what you need and we can get out on our way."

He nodded and snagged the materials he needed before going up to the counter to have his purchase rung up, digging the money for it out of his wallet. Getting it all bagged up, he rolled the excess plastic of the bag around it carefully before placing it safely in his backpack for later on. Finally, they made their way out of the hobby shop, Ryou waving goodbye to the owner as he left and the little bell ringing and sounding their departure. Stepping out into the crowded sidewalk, jostling with busy people all running around to take care of their own personal errands, the siblings walked through the mass of people. It wasn't far to the bus station where they could catch a ride to the school where Amane always had her sport meetings in the late afternoon. Personally, Ryou couldn't much understand the appeal. He'd rather sit around and play a game or eat snacks rather than exercise, but his sister seemed to thrive on the activity.

Of course, she'd always been an outdoorsy sort of person, so maybe he should have seen it coming.

"So, you think Dad will really be leaving soon?" Amane asked as they walked. "I have a competition coming up. I was really hoping he would be there for it."

"He said about trying to delay the trip until then, but I don't know. These things are hard to schedule," he said with a shrug. "He's busy all the time, you know that."

She snorted and shook her head. This was a conversation they'd had since they were kids, and Ryou knew how it would go. He missed his father true, but he didn't mind solitude so much that it had ever really bothered him. On the other hand, Amane always wanted people near her. She was like a ray of sunshine, and best when around other people. Playful and honest since she'd been a child, she just needed her family and friends around her. A father who seemed to be gone more often than he was around had always seemed to bother her, and now without a youthful innocence and moving towards her teen years, Ryou was beginning to suspect she was getting resentful for it.

"You don't seem to miss him all that much," she stated, her tone suddenly flat, causing him to sigh and shake his head. "What?! It's not like those bones or rocks are getting any older? He owns several museums, he's a successful curator in multiple countries where he has his business, and he can set the schedule to these digs if he wants to, especially since he's the one providing most of the money to it. Why can't he be here for us? Are some ruins more important than his own family?"

"Amane," he said softly. "It's not that he doesn't want to spend time with us, and he always does his best to be around for the holidays and our birthdays. His work requires him to leave a lot though, and be gone for long periods at a time. It's delicate work he does, and it's not like he can just go out into a desert and say, 'I think the ruins are in that direction. Start digging and I'll be back in a month.' It's more than that."

"I think you're trying too hard to defend him," she retorted. "What's so great about a bunch of dusty old ruins and tombs anyway. Sounds boring to me."

Ryou didn't answer, not because he didn't have one, but because he preferred not to give it. Amane was nice, friendly, active and had an endless amount of energy, but anything that wasn't just as hands-on as her, and she had no interest. Things like ghosts stories, occult or ancient civilizations would make her fall asleep faster than a glass of warm milk, unlike Ryou who couldn't get enough of it. She'd always said the interest made him seem a bit creepy at times, and he had to agree.

Not that being creepy wasn't a good thing in his opinion.

Of course, he'd never told her about exactly how this interest had come to a head. He looked over his shoulder, wondering if his resident thief ghost had any interest in what they were talking about. A being who had been dead for years, it seemed to have tons of a connection to that sort of stuff, but he supposed that was only to be expected. The fourteen-year-old couldn't often get his ghost to talk about where or even when he was from, but the little he'd learned from him had always been fascinating, enough to make him stay up almost every night with his trusty Ouija board and hope for some more clues.

It was probably his best and more special hobby, trying to figure out who was haunting him and why. Often he would go to his grandmother's house, hoping to find a more effective way to talk to the spirit, but for some reason, nothing ever seemed to work. His one person séance had ended in disaster, one of the many candles he'd lit tipping over before he could even start asking questions, singeing the carpet pretty bad too. His grandmother had laughed about it though, and he'd been lucky it hadn't been reported to his mother, as long as he promised not to do it again without supervision.

He didn't think Amane would have much interest in some ghost following him around for years. She would probably think he was crazy. Well, no. Maybe she would believe him, but he doubted she would care. As far as he knew, she had no time for things like ghosts and would just pass it off as unimportant.

Either that or she'd offer to beat it up for her brother.

Chuckling a bit at the thought of her trying to do something like that, he patted her on the head.

"Amane, don't ever change, okay?" he requested. "You're great."

"Huh?" she asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh nothing, just trusting you to always be as straight forward and stubborn as you are now," he said, to which she only stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"You're weird," she said, glancing away, but he could see the smile just on the corner of her lips anyway. Well, at least she'd cheered up a bit. That was nice. She was no good when she got into a grumpy mood, no matter how brief they would be.

It didn't take long for the bus to pick them up after they reached the station, getting there only minutes after their own arrival. Riding it in a comfortable silence, Ryou watched the passing scenery as Amane started checking her bag one last time to make sure she had all of her needed equipment. They'd been here for years now, and had established a very comfortable pattern. Things were about the same as they had been in Japan, some friends, some bullies and a whole lot of happy time with heartache thrown into the mix. It wasn't such a bad life though, not to the teen, and he certainly had an enjoyment for it. He had a love for England he couldn't explain, a certain feeling of belonging that just hadn't quite been there when he'd been in Japan, though he couldn't explain why.  
>He'd been here half his life now, and he liked it. He could see himself staying here, maybe going away for college, but coming back eventually. Perhaps he could even do the same work as his father, or write up modules of his own for games if he liked.<p>

"I wonder... will you still be by my side that far from now, Thief?" he asked softly.

"What was that?" his sister asked him, looking up from her bag. "Did you say something?"

Ryou blushed a bit and quickly shook his head. Wishing his face didn't seem so warm, he pointed out the window to the oncoming brick building.

"Hey, we're almost there. You'd better pull the line to let the driver know to stop."

She gave him an odd look but nodded, grabbing the wire cord and pulling it to indicate the next stop was theirs. He didn't think he'd properly distracted her, as she was still shooting him a suspicious look, but he did his best to pretend he didn't notice, just in vain hope she would leave it be. He really should watch himself more carefully, and not blurt things out like that. It's not like the thief could answer him like this anyway, yet he would still say dumb things at the worst possible time.

He waited around while Amane got ready and headed to practice, sitting in the bleachers and pulling out a notebook to study a bit. He still had some homework he needed to finish for tomorrow, and since he was expected to escort her back home when she was done, he might as well get it done now, so he'd have time to work on his figures later on. Mother still didn't like either of them being by themselves, saying they were both too young, though he thought that was kind of foolish. He was only a couple years away from being able to drive, and Amane was rather grown up for a twelve-year-old. Heck, it was getting to the point where she was almost as tall as he was. If she passed him though, it was going to be pretty embarrassing. He was already scrawny and nerdy enough as it was without having his younger sister getting bigger than him. Still, they weren't children anymore for goodness' sakes. His mother really needed to relax the rules a little on them.

Not that he minded. Despite the two being as different as night and day, they were still close, and he regarded her as his best friend. Even as many things as they both did, they always had time for one another, and he supposed even if their mother didn't insist he go with her to practice, he still would.  
>A sudden whoop caused him to look up from his papers and he saw Amane jumping up and down, her lacrosse stick help up high in both her hands. Some of the other girls were groaning, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit. She'd probably torn through defense again to get a score. Amazing sometimes how the other players couldn't even keep up.<p>

"Girl, what is your secret?" the one in front of the goal asked as she picked up the ball with a sigh. "Is it something you're eating?"

"Oh come on, I just practice a lot, that's all," Amane giggled, though looking pleased at the praise. "Let's try to repeat the play and see if you can block it this time. Just be happy this isn't an actual game and you didn't miss the block in front of a crowd."

The other girls all blushed a bit, and Ryou noticed a few of them glance up at his direction. Feeling his face go a bit red, he looked down again at his own things and tried not to notice, though the giggles he heard made it obvious it was in vain.

"I wish we could look a bit more impressive in plays when he's around," the goalie sighed. "Bet we all look kind of lame in comparison to you, Amane."

"Please, you want to catch my brother's eye, you don't do it with sports," Amane informed the other player, shaking her head. "He's more into that gamer nerd sort of stuff. Put your leg guards away and get a dusty old role-playing book, then he'll notice you."

"I don't care if he wants me to go find slugs with him, he's cute enough to do it. And he's so exotic too, being half Japanese. All the girls notice him," she giggled before Amane playfully slugged her in the arm.

"You mind? That's still my brother," she laughed.

The conversation was thankfully cut short when the coach called over to them to get back to their plays, something Ryou was incredibly grateful for. He had a feeling they hadn't known the noise could carry that well and he pretty much heard every word they were saying, but it didn't matter. It was still embarrassing. Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if the girl was just a big of a gamer as he was, he didn't think he would ever have any interest in dating any of them. He just never had cared about girls all that much, and a girlfriend was the last thing on his mind, not that it stopped any of them from trying to get his attention, whether it was in vain or not.

He was grateful when they got back to their practice though, and he just watched them continue their plays and maneuvers until it was time to quit. Shoving his things back in his bag, he hopped down the bleachers two at a time to meet up with his sister, glancing up at the sky as he did so.

"We should probably be getting back soon," he said as she brushed the dirt and grass off of her uniform. "It's getting late, and it looks like it might rain soon."

She giggled a bit and shook her head.

"You say that every time, trying to rush me back," she informed him. "I'm not getting on the bus all dirty like this. You can wait for me to take my shower."

He hesitated a bit before he sighed.

"Just hurry it up, will you," he said. "Preferably before any of the others come out."

"You're a little bit old to be scared of girls, Onii-san," she teased, pinching his cheek as she called him out in Japanese, luckily none of the others seeming to understand what the two siblings were talking about. "Relax. I won't be long. If one of them approaches you, I'm sure you have a cross or garlic to ward them off with."

"Will you just hurry up?" he hissed, batting her hand anyway. She chuckled, but nodded her head and rushed off to the locker room on the other side of the field to get cleaned up.

Shaking his head in exasperation as she skipped off, he crossed his arms and leaned against the bleachers, tapping his foot as he did so.

"I wonder if you had any siblings that annoyed you this much," he said aloud once he was sure that he was alone. "Did you have siblings at all? I guess I shouldn't complain, but she knows perfectly well those girls never made me comfortable. She probably just thinks it's one of the other things that makes me weird. Ugh. Maybe I am a little weird. After all, I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

He looked around, though it was in vain. Even though he knew perfectly well who he was talking to, he still couldn't see the thief.

"It's not really fair, you know," he said. "Granny gets to see you. Why can't I? Maybe you should go haunt her instead."

The Ring rose up so fast, he didn't even get a chance to react in surprise before it smacked him right in the face, and rather hard too.

"Ow! Hey!" he cried out, rubbing his nose. "Alright, alright. Sorry. You know I was only kidding."

He didn't know for sure whether his apology was accepted or not, being unable to see the man, but he could imagine he had annoyed him pretty badly with that comment. Still rubbing his nose with a couple of fingers, he sighed.

"Never knew why didn't like her," he stated. "It would have been easier if you would just talk to her and she could tell me what you were saying. I'm actually kind of jealous of her, being able to communicate with you so easily, and yet she keeps telling me you hide when we go over there."

His shoulders slumped a bit, and he chewed on his bottom lip, knowing he'd get no answer, but still wishing for one. One didn't come though, because it never did, and he waited in silence the rest of the time until Amane came back. True to her word, she hadn't taken long, her hair still damp, but she was fresh and clean, changed into her normal clothes.

"Ready to go," she said cheerfully, not seeming to notice the little sour mood Ryou was suddenly feeling. "Shall we get going? I bet mum has some dinner ready for us by now, and I'm pretty hungry after such a work out."

"Alright," he said, shouldering his bag and making his way to the bus stop with her and checking his watch as they walked. "Not too long now. The bus should be here within ten minutes or so."

"Great, I think we'll be able to beat the rain then," she said, looking up at the sky. "You're right. It does look like it's gonna start soon. Here I thought you were just trying to get me to hurry."

"Well, a little bit of both," he admitted with a little bit of a sheepish smile. "But come on, it rains all the time here. So half the time I say it, I'm bound to be right."

"That's hardly a prediction to boast about," she teased, nudging him a little with her elbow. "You're no psyche, that's for damn sure."

"I'm starting to wonder if that's true," he muttered. "I don't seem to have the talent of one."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. Come on."

The wind was starting to pick up a little, and he wanted to reach the little stop area. There was a bench and small covering they could hide under until their transportation arrived. It wasn't really all that much, but it was better than the middle of the school field, that was for darn sure. Taking her hand in his, he led her up to it and sighed in relief as the wind stopped cutting through him, blocked off by the little plastic walls they could hide behind.

"What's with this storm?" Amane asked. "It's like it's coming out of nowhere. The sky was totally clear just an hour ago. Did the telly say anything about bad weather today?"

"Not that I can remember," he replied, shaking his head. "It was supposed to be completely clear."

"Just goes to show what they know," she laughed a bit. "Oh well. We'll be home soon. Even if we get a little wet, it's not like it's a big deal. Just got to keep our chins up."

"Okay, even from you that was corny," he stated, to which she only laughed again.

"Wonder where the bus is," she said, poking her head out and looking up and down the street, a few people driving out in their cars, but seeing no bus. "It shouldn't be much longer, should it?"

"I'll check the schedule," he said, turning to look at the sheet posted on the wall to see if there were any notes about a different time. It all looked the same as last week though, with no change. "It should be here any time now, Ama-"

The sound of screeching tires cut him off, but before he could turn around to see if it was the bus, he felt something hard press against his back, knocking the wind out of him. The sound of twisting and breaking plastic filled his ears and pain shot exploded in his skull as he felt strong hands pressing into his back, pinning him in place, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't break the grip. His face pressed against the clear plastic, he couldn't see anything happening behind him, but his other senses were being filled to the brim. In mere seconds he could hear the destruction happening around him, their little protective covering breaking apart, the smell of exhaust so close it was gagging him, and a high pitched scream that was cut off almost as soon as it started.

Trembling, he almost didn't move as the hands slowly slid off, freeing him to turn around. His actions were slow, terrified without even knowing why, and his eyes widened at the horrible sight in front of him, hitting him hard like a slap across the face. For a moment he couldn't even breath, until a scream ripped from his throat as he stared at the sight of his litter sister pinned by a crumpled car to what was left of their so called shelter.

End of Chapter 12

Again, nothing to say about this, but a big thanks to Thooruchan and Ria for reading through it in advance. Please review.


	13. Dust to Dust, It all Falls Down

This chapter was supposed to be out in a few days, and I'm sorry that it took this long. It's been a very crazy month. I left my job, had to find a new one, and I've been having to deal with paperwork issues from the government to give you a short version of what's going on in my life. So sincere apologies for this not being out as promptly as I wanted it to be.

That being said, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. As I've said before, YGO isn't mine, and no money is being made from this story. It's just for fun.

Please enjoy the fic, and kindly review if you have a minute or two to spare.

Chapter 13: Dust to Dust, It all Falls Down

Ryou's scream pierced Akefia hard as he stared at the sight. Amane looked so small of a sudden, so broken. Her waist and below was pinned to the small bus-stop shelter, while the rest of her was crumpled up on top of the car, laying there motionless. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she was only half aware of herself anymore, and her soft hair was quickly becoming flat and wet with her own blood.

It was as if she were some limp doll, forgotten now by the one who had broken her.

"NO!" he screamed, launching forward. Without even thinking about it, he was in Ryou's body, forcing the boy to sleep so that he could take over.

He grabbed Amane's face, turning it a bit and shaking her shoulder frantically with his other hand.

"Amane!" he cried out. "Amane, wake up! Stay with me, you have to stay awake! Listen, look at me, now! Focus, dammit!"

She groaned softly, her eyes getting sharper for a moment, but with confusion swimming in the soft orbs.

"O... Onii-san?" she breathed out, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Your... your eyes... they're..."

"Shh, don't worry about that now," he said, brushing her hand comfortingly with his own. She was talking, and that was a good sign at least. He just had to keep her focused. It didn't even register in his head what she was talking about, or that she was seeing the purple irises instead of the normal green ones she was used to. He was too wrapped up in trying to help her, keeping her held above the abyss of death until someone could come and help her.

She gave a faint smile, before suddenly coughing. His eyes widened as the blood erupted from her lips, staining her mouth and his face, landing in flecks on his cheeks and chin. Shakily, he reached up and touched the blood, smearing it a little over his skin and pulling his hands back to see her red liquid of life on his own fingers, having escaped from her.

"No..." he breathed, as he looked up and saw her eyes start to close, still smiling for some fucking reason. "NO! AMANE! Fight it! You can't die! You stupid, selfish little girl! You're not allowed to die! What will my host say?! It's my job to keep him and you safe! You can't fucking do this to me!"

He gripped her hand in his own, practically squeezing it to the breaking point in his palm, as if the pain alone would bring her back to him and force her to stay awake. She gave no response though, starting to slow down, resting on the car as if she wanted to just sleep.

"No... you can't die," he whispered. "Please... please, Amane. Don't... don't leave us."

She didn't even seem to be listening anymore, her hand finally dropping from his own. He yanked back as if he'd been burned, looking around frantically, willing himself to think of something before it was too late.

It was then when he saw the bag, and it clicked in his head.

It was the only way. He couldn't do anything else to save her. Not now. It was just too late.

"You're not going to die, Amane," he assured her, stooping down and tearing the bag open. "I forbid it. I won't allow you to go, not when I finally have the power at my disposal to stop the death of a loved one."

He rummaged through the bag, finally pulling out something that would work. It was a figure, and a female one at that, which would suit his purposes just fine. It wasn't painted yet, but now was certainly not the time to be getting picky. How it would look was the last thing on his mind at the moment, that was for damn sure.

"Don't worry," he whispered as he stood back up and threaded his fingers through her hair. She was still breathing, but faintly. He'd have to be fast about this. "It's not going to hurt, promise. I know this is going to be odd for you, but it's the only way. Just relax, and don't worry. You're safe now."

He tried to be as gentle as he could when he pulled her soul out, handling it carefully as he put it into the little figure. The times he'd done this before, he'd never cared one wit about the comfort of the people he was extracting, but this was completely different. He didn't want her to feel anymore pain than she had to.

He looked up at the eyes of Amane's body, now glassy and fogged over. He swallowed as he pressed a bloody finger to her throat, sighing as he realized there was no longer a pulse. He couldn't have had any better timing. A few moments later, and it would have been in vain.

Checking the figurine over, he wasn't surprised when it didn't move. The thief could sense her soul resting in it, but she'd been through such a trauma, she would no doubt sleep for a while until she was properly recuperated. It would be for the best. He could explain it to her as best he could later on, where it was quiet and no one would interrupt him. He'd certainly never really planned to tell her even a single detail about himself, honestly, but desperate times called for desperate measures, and he couldn't let her just be in the dark about her new life. It just wouldn't do.

No, it wouldn't do at all.

He quickly put Ryou's little sister back into the bag as safely as he could. He'd just finished when he heard the screams of other girls, clearly coming across and seeing what had happened, other cars pulling by to try to help as best they could.

It was odd, he couldn't have been alone in Ryou's body for more than five minutes, yet it had seemed like an eternity trying to keep her awake and aware. It was no good for others to rush up now. It was all done and finished with. Amane, or at least her body, was dead. Groaning softly, he leaned back against what was left of the plastic, his head starting to swim. He wondered briefly if Ryou had hit his head in the accident, because all of a sudden he felt like the world was swimming around him.

He didn't pay much attention to the sounds getting nearer with every passing second. He just wanted to rest all of a sudden. It didn't matter as people started to pull the driver from the car, the man unconscious and slumped over the people pulling him out. The sounds of the girls screaming as they saw Amane were inconsequential, his eyes starting to slide closed and his mind along with it. Slumping back to awkwardly sit on the twisted plastic, he wondered if Ryou just couldn't take anymore and his body was just shutting down on its own, and taking Akefia with it.

He greeted the blackness, unable to do much else at the moment, wondering just how he was going to be able to apologize to his host for being unable to keep his family safe.

#-#

Akefia had been to a few healing houses in his time, but not many of them, despite the dangerous life he had once led. Even though he often got hurt in his business of theft, being a wanted criminal made it dangerous to ever rely on anyone else for help. He'd often had to stitch up his own wounds, even as he was bleeding so much he could barely stay conscious. He'd covered up his own face as best he could with cloths and bandages when he'd first gotten his scar, a product of his young age and inexperience with trying to take what wasn't his in order to be able to eat. It had been a lesson, both to be more careful, and how to keep himself going and healthy, even as it got infected and he became sick, but taking care of himself as best as he could.

He'd just been lucky he hadn't lost his eye in the process, and that it hadn't killed him.

Despite the risk though, he wouldn't often go to those kind of places, preferring to just shove his own guts back in to going to anyone else and praying they didn't turn him in for the reward.

He certainly had never been in a modern hospital either, and yet that was where he had found himself in currently, floating in the air with his legs crossed and chin resting in his palm. He was currently watching over Ryou, who was sleeping in a bed, completely out of it.

He'd woken up not long after he'd blacked out, out of his host's body and back in the Millennium Ring. He'd left it as quickly as he could, finding the boy still knocked out at the sight of the crash, but paramedics there and loading him onto a stretcher to get him into an ambulance. The dead thief had watched over him the whole time, and what felt like hours later, was still waiting for him to wake up.

Not that he would envy Ryou when he did. He'd left a world of happiness and no worries, and would soon be facing a darker one, a cruel one that you had to meet once you realized just how uncaring life could be, tearing away the ones you love without so much of a thought about how it could and would destroy you.

Akefia both wanted the boy to wake up soon, so he could see Ryou okay, and yet somehow wondered if it would be better if he never had to open those eyes again, and never had to meet such a world.

In all the times Akefia had been kicked in the stomach by this horrible existence, as often as he had lost a loved one, or seen himself fail in revenge or getting anyone back, he would have thought this wouldn't hurt him so much anymore. He would have thought watching Amane, a girl he'd even started to consider his own little sister, die would have been just another one on the list. Nothing to cry over. After all, it wasn't like he had never experienced it before. One would think he would be used to the pain, and thus numb to it.

And yet, it did hurt.

It pained him so much he could barely stand it. Fighting with her in those last few precious minutes of her life, pleading with her to stay, it had been a dance he'd performed before, and the steps hurt just as much now as they did then.

Why was it no one stayed alive when he begged them to? It was just like in his village, pleading with the ghosts of his family to stay, to give him the guidance he needed, to give him the comfort he needed. But they hadn't stayed, and neither had she.

"Dammit," he hissed as he looked down at his host. If this is how he felt, he could imagine the horrible pain Ryou would go through when he woke up. This would change him forever, tearing him apart.

True, Akefia had saved her essence. She was still alive, but only in the slightest of ways. She'd forever be in that lead figure, with no living body to go back to, no way to escape from the world he'd put her in back to a normal life.

Yes, he'd saved her, but it felt bittersweet when he had wanted to do so much more.

Ryou was lucky. He'd survived with little more than a few scratches, stitched and bandaged up. He'd no doubt be released today, allowed to go home with his mother when this was all done and over with.

Speaking of which...

Katherine Bakura had arrived a short time ago, along with Ryou's grandmother, both of them wanting to check on the children, only to receive the horrid news. Ryou's mother had nearly fallen to the floor sobbing and screaming, only her mother catching her and holding her up keeping her from becoming a total mess. Not that he blamed her in anyway. The man was just as shaken up, even if he was better at holding it in. The same pain was etched into her face, burning into her eyes, and he could feel every ounce of her anguish with her. They'd not stayed in Ryou's room for too long though before being pulled away by doctors, police and other men in uniform.

Akefia was starting to wonder just what was taking so long. Feeling his host probably wouldn't wake up in the next five minutes, he decided to leave the room and check on things. Phasing through the wall with one last look at the boy, he moved down the hall and past a few different rooms before finding them. They weren't too far off, talking with an officer. They were all visibly shaken, though his mother was no longer crying, but still holding a tissue to her eyes and sniffling while Ryou's grandmother wrapped her arms around her in support.

"The driver woke up some short time ago," the man in uniform informed them. "After talking to him, and looking over the crash... I'm not sure really how to say this. There were no skid marks, nor any other signs he'd even tried to stop. He had quite a lot of alcohol in his system as well."

"He was drunk?" the old woman asked, her voice a little hard. "It wasn't even an accident?"

"We're still investigating, all possibilities, ma'am," the policeman said with a sigh before tugging his cap down a little bit. "But to be honest with you folks, all the signs are pointing that way. We're going to of course do our best to get him arrested, and I'm assuming you want to press charges on him for your son as well. We'll do all we can to help you get though this."

"Get through this?!" Katherine suddenly yelled out, looking furiously at the man. "You want to help us get through this?! My little girl is dead because of that man! How could we possibly get past this! He deserves to be in jail right now for what he did to her! He murdered my baby girl!"

The policeman looked uncomfortable as her mother tried to calm her down, but Akefia was feeling just the opposite. That piece of filth driver had been drunk? That's why Amane had been hit? He felt his fists clench in rage as he glared at the scene in front of him.

"I really am truly sorry for your loss," the man said. "Look, we're going to do our best to bring him to justice. We can't prove intent in cases like this, but he will get manslaughter charges, reckless endangerment, and of course if you do decide to press charges, the damage your son went through. I promise you, something is going to be done about this."

Rubbing the back of his neck, he fished out a pad of paper, scrawling something onto it and handing it to Mrs. Bakura.

"This is a number to our main office. Any time you want to call, please feel free to. We'll keep in touch if anything comes up. Also, if you're in need of any counseling, I could try to find a good psychiatrist to help you out in your time of grief."

Her mother took the paper instead, giving it a glance before pushing it into her small handbag and giving a short nod.

"Thank you," she said softly. "Will you want Ryou to come in and give a testament?"

"No, that won't be necessary for him to come all the way to the station, I don't think. We'd just like to know what he saw, ma'am," he informed the grandmother. "We'll need his recollection of the incident, and then judge on whether he should testify in court, but we'll try to keep our demands easy on him, I promise. The last thing the police want is to trouble him any further. Once he wakes up, we can talk to him and just ask him a couple things about what he remembers."

"Mmmm, I have a feeling he wasn't the one who saw anything."

They looked over to Ryou's grandmother from what she had said, but she frowned a bit and didn't pay them any mind. Akefia snarled when he noticed she was looking right at him. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with, but it seemed he had no choice in the matter as she softly excused herself from the group, claiming she wanted to go see her grandson. He watched her approach and passing him by, with a short and stern, "Come with me, now," muttered out softly.

For once, he knew better than to argue or ignore her, and followed despite himself.

True to her word, she made her way back to Ryou's room, grabbing a seat and dragging it near the foot of his bed. Tapping her foot a couple times, she sighed a little and looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

"So, what happened?" she asked him. "What did you see?"

"Not much of anything," he admitted. "I was watching Ryou at the time. All I heard were the tires, and then I saw the car, but just seconds before it was too late. I... I tried to grab her... but I couldn't. My hand just went right through her. There was no way to... to do anything."

For a second, the old woman didn't say anything, but her eyes grew soft and she pulled a handkerchief out of her purse, dabbing at her eyes.

"Living to see your family die, it makes you wish you could reach your own grave first," she sighed, shaking her head. Her face was a little moist around her eyes, but so far she was not breaking down like her daughter was. "I have buried many, many people in my long life. My husband, my parents and even some friends now. I never wished for my granddaughter to be amongst them."

"I'm sorry," he said, truly meaning it. It was certainly a sentiment he could share with her. "You must hate me, for not being able to-"

"I've lived too long to be moved by petty feelings like hate," she said, cutting him off. "I do not blame you. I blame the man who was in that car, but even him, I can't hate."

"Oh?" he asked. "Why not? Don't you care? It's his fault after all."

"Will you punish him?" she asked suddenly, looking up at him.

"What?" he asked, feeling surprised by the sudden turn around in conversation.

"Ryou has talked to me about you," she informed him. "How you had hurt those that bullied him when he was a child. He told me stories of what you did, putting them in hospitals. They were very, very disturbing stories. Ones a boy his age should not have known. Will you do the same now? Will you punish the man who has hurt our family?"

Akefia was silent for a while, pondering it over. It was tempting, so very fucking tempting. He could tear that man apart, make him see horrors he'd never known before. It would be so very sweet, using him as revenge, to make him pay for what he had done, both to Ryou... and to himself.

Only one thing made him pause.

"I once promised Ryou I wouldn't do something like that again," he confessed softly. "He said that me acting like that scared him."

"And you don't want to scare my grandson?"

"Not anymore. Maybe before it wouldn't have mattered, but it does now. Is that what you want to hear?" he asked, not knowing why this old bat was even talking to him. Nothing she was saying seemed to be leading up to anything right now. Just what did she want from him?

"I can see something in you," she whispered. "Something old and ancient, something that makes even me feel foolish when I talk about my old age. It's something dark, and it thirsts for something even darker. You are not someone who has given up on hate, like I have. I lived through a horrible war, one that shook the whole world, and me along with it. I have, in my own way, felt very tired since then. I saw and learned things back then, about the true evils of the world, and how horrible some people can really be, how human life means nothing to them, because they cherished no life, and saw the people they killed as things lesser than humans. It changed me, and I have tried my best to move on and cherish life, to be happy and not be gripped by the dark things in this world. But you..."

She gave him a hard look, her stare piercing him.

"You have been moved so much by those dark things, you almost became one. I can tell. You stand on the brink, and something is keeping you from falling. If you ever... ever do fall, if you ever lose and go all the way... You will not be bothering my grandson anymore. I will make sure of that. I must bury one of my beloved grandchildren soon. You had best make sure I won't tolerate my other one being involved in a murder."  
>He matched her glare, but heard the threat for what it was. She was completely serious. She was not forbidding him to act out of revenge for the sake and welfare of the driver, but to keep Ryou safe. Granted, he probably would have kept his promise to Ryou anyway, but clearly the old woman was taking no chances.<p>

As much as he deserved punishment, as much as his soul should have been ripped to shreds and devoured, doing so would risk his connection to his host. He didn't know just how she could make due on such a threat, but he wouldn't put it past her into putting her all into finding out how to.

The fact she could see so much of what he'd been hiding from Ryou for years made him seriously feel she could find out how to sever their connection too.

"Relax, old woman," he muttered. "I wasn't going to anyway."

Her shoulders slumped a little, and she nodded. She looked older in that moment than he had ever seen her. It was odd, as she looked over at her grandson, how such a lively and playful woman suddenly looked beaten down and aged. She'd never seemed like this before, and all of a sudden he wanted the plump, cheerful woman who always smiled and smelled of baked sweets back. Funny, he never would have thought he'd miss her as she was, but wasn't she allowed to grieve as well?

"Thank you," she said suddenly.

"For what?" he asked, scoffing. "I didn't do anything worth mentioning."

"Oh, but you did," she said softly. "You tried."

He stared at her, seeing her kind face beam up at him. It made him feel awkward and self conscious.

True, he had saved Amane, but she didn't know that. He didn't plan on telling her either, having a hunch she wouldn't take kindly to her youngest grandchild being in a little lead toy for the rest of eternity. If she didn't want him to kill a man using Ryou's body, she certainly wouldn't react well to that.

She really did think he hadn't done a damn thing, being unable to. It was enough that he had tried, even though she thought he had failed. It wasn't something he was used to, and it made him feel odd to have both gratitude and forgiveness shown to him.

After all, failure to him always carried such consequences, who would forgive him for just trying?

#-#

Ryou's release from the hospital wasn't happy, and he didn't expect it to be. He had woken up with his grandmother by his side, sitting quietly and just waiting for him to fully wake up. She told him what had happened, but they were things he'd already known. It hurt when he was told of his sister's demise, like his heart was being torn out and stomped on. He had never experienced such pain before, and it made his whole body ache from it.

The questions from the police, his grandmother trying to comfort him and hugging him tightly, and his mother continuing to cry the whole time, it all passed in a blur, one he could barely even remember by the time he got home. It was dark, twilight long since passing, and everything was wet and cold from the rain. He'd been brought back and tucked into bed, his mind whirling as he was told his father had been called and was getting on the first plane he could manage to catch.

It was hardly the good news he'd been hoping for, that was for sure.

"I'm going to be just downstairs if you need me," Katherine told her son. "Just call if you need me for anything, okay?"

He nodded a bit, the warm and soft bed giving him no comfort, and feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep for the next ten years.

"Mum," he whispered softly, looking up at the woman who's eyes were still red and puffy. He wondered if he should say anything, something that had been bothering him since he had woken up and been able to clearly recall the accident. He hadn't told the police this, unable to force it past his lips. It was weighing so heavily on him though, threatening to drive him insane if he didn't say something, anything to someone.

"What is it, honey?" she asked.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, trusting his mother. She was so sad right now, but she would help him. She was always there for him.

"Right... right before the crash," he breathed softly. "There was... something that happened. I think I almost got hit too."

She looked confused, not seeming to understand what he was getting at. Brushing a hand through his hair, she chewed on her bottom lip.

"What do you mean, Ryou?" she asked softly. "You were clear of the car, weren't you? That's what you told the police."

"I was... but only because... I think Amane pushed me out of the way," he breathed. "She was looking out the bus stop at the time, and my back was turned, checking the schedule. She had to have pushed me out of the way, because I felt her hands on my back until the hit."

The shock on his mother's face almost killed him, it really did. Immediately he felt like he had said the wrong thing, and his eyes started to screw up in tears.

"It's my fault, isn't it?" he choked out. "If she hadn't been so worried about me, she would have had time to save herself. I'm the reason why she's dead, aren't I?"

"No," she said sharply, immediately grabbing him and pulling him forward into a hug. She held onto him so tightly, it actually hurt, and he could tell by the way she was shaking, she was starting to cry again herself. "No, baby. It's... it's n-not your fault. It's that driver who did it. He's the one who did this. It's not your fault at all. Please... please don't ever say something like that to your mummy again. Okay? Promise me, Ryou."

His fingers dug into the back of her blouse, tears falling from his cheeks as he wept, the pain bursting from him like a dam. Despite her words, it still hurt. Amane had pushed him out of the way, at the cost of her own life. If it weren't for him, she would still be around. If he hadn't insisted on rushing, maybe they wouldn't have been there yet. Maybe they would have still been on the field, far from the crash and not at all effected by it in the slightest.

He had woken up this morning with his sister and his family happy. He'd gone through the day so normal, wanting petty things like figures for his games, and thinking her annoying as she had nagged him for his hobby.

And now... he was in his mother's arms, crying and feeling guilty for now being an only child.

End of Chapter 13

I have never really liked character death all that much. To be honest, I did not want to do this. Despite saying to myself I wished this story to be dark, the death of Amane was something I was not wanting to write. I'll be honest, a big part of me was considering changing it in order to let her live, and never being involved in the car accident in the first place, allowing her to stay alive and continue on with Ryou's and Akefia's lives and adventures. However my beta readers told me this was a serious cop out for a writer, and thus I decided to go through with it.

So thanks to them for pushing me through it, and to Ria for reading this over for me.

Still, I have never dreaded writing something so much in my entire life.

However, I did want to do it justice, so I hope this chapter was well written, despite being sad as hell. A couple more chapters to deal with stuff, I'm sad to say though. It is going to be a bumpy ride, fair warning.

Please review and share your thoughts. It's appreciated.


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